I think I better leave right now
by purrfectly679
Summary: [COMPLETE] After 5 long years, the heir to the Uchiha clan is finally back, engaged to a certain pink-haired girl... But old emotions reawaken as the 2 rivals once again meet face to face, eye to eye... And heart to heart? SasuNaru. lemon link in profile
1. I'm here, just like I said

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto. And I don't own this gorgeous song "leave right now," written by Will Young, which gave me the inspiration to compose this fic...  
**Title**: I think I better leave right now - chapter 1**  
Author**: Purrfectly679 - e-mail purrfectly679hotmail.com for comments and suggestions. Feedback highly appreciated.  
**Rating**: PG, angst. SakuSasu, hint of SasuNaru.   
**Notes**: No spoilers. This is a revised repost. In other words, the story is still the same, but some parts have been edited for a better flow...

For all old readers, **if you would like to read the final chapter, please e-mail me**. If you are a new reader, I do not advise reading the ending because it will spoil everything! Anyways, on with the chapter!

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Naruto stared at the boy in front of him. No… That was incorrect. Uchiha Sasuke was no longer a boy. He grew up to be every bit the man everyone had highly expected of him. It had been… What? A few years since the two had come face to face... Such a long 5 years…

Sasuke had grown up. He no longer possessed the young boyish looks he had when he was 16… That was the last time Naruto had seen him, had remembered him... Now he looked like a… Like… Like a _god_. No longer pale enough to be considered angelic, untouchable, unbreakable... He was tanned, though not tanned enough to rid him of the trademark paleness that the Uchiha seemed to inherit. It was a part of him that refused to leave him, no matter how burnt he got during his missions, no matter how long he spent out in the sun. He grew taller, shoulders broader, and legs leaner. Strength seems to emit out from every pore in his body - strength that demanded respect, demanded attention, and refused any form of weakness. In some ways Sasuke had changed, but in other ways, nothing had changed at all.

But Naruto hadn't been sitting idly by either. He had grown up too. Probably more radically than Sasuke had. Lost were his immature grins, troublemaking antics and mischievous eyes. His eyes were still warm, but retained a slightly haunted look, as if he had seen the worse of the worse, and had somehow survived through the pain. His skin was smooth and flawless. And probably soft to the touch. _Probably_. His hair seemed a little more tamed than 5 years ago, but still shone the vibrant colour of the burning Sun. He too had gotten taller, although still shorter than Sasuke... Maybe it was inevitable that he'd always be below his rival. His friend...

And the one who had hurt him the most.

Throughout his life, he had always been unfairly condemned with hatred from the village's inhabitants… For something he couldn't control... For having the cursed nine-tails sealed within him… It wasn't surprising anymore - it was simply accepted - just as people _simply_ accepted the fact that the sky was blue... But just because it was accepted did not mean that it didn't hurt... Because it did. It hurt a lot...

But that pain was nothing compared to the agony that the man in front of him had put the blond through. Years of pain seemed insignificant to the pain that Sasuke had put him through in a mere instant.... In a mere second.

So why was he here? After 5 years of furious promises made to himself… To avoid him... To avoid this situation... To avoid the hurt and pain that his presence would surely bring back. Yet he was back.... He had come back...

_Just how the hell did Kakashi manage to persuade him to come?_

"Long time no see," came the soft voice, interrupting Naruto's fervent train of thought. Blue eyes widened slightly in shock. To hear his voice again… Sudden panic sparked up within him. Just why was he here! For the first time in his life, the kitsune was speechless. Unable to react, to move, to even make a sound. It was almost as if Sasuke had cast a spell over him...

_A spell that was impossible break._

Naruto stared back into the dark depths of his ex-rivals eyes. Just like before… they were so _cold_ - held no emotion, betrayed no flicker of emotion… as if they held no acknowledgement. Just like before...

_Some things just never changed._

"Hn…" Naruto barely managed to grunt a response. His mind screamed at him for acting so weak… Why was he so weak?! He _knew_ that Sasuke hated weakness... And here he was, displaying the trait in front of him, so visibly, so honestly, so openly... And he hated himself for it.

Yet the Uchiha's eyes betrayed no emotion, revealed no disgust. Only blankness greeted blue eyes.

"Hi Naruto!" a voice chirped cheerfully, intruding on the uncomfortable moment that passed between the two former rivals. It was Sakura. His childhood crush. She linked her arms around Sasuke, who didn't protest. His dark intense eyes were still boring into blue ones, as if fighting some hidden battle that no one knew about.

Naruto shivered inwardly, before quickly looking away and into the green depths of the pink haired girl. He smiled - he really had no choice but to smile... To see her so happy... Deep inside, he was glad... Even if it meant that he was hurt himself. Yes, he had loved her, and all she had ever sought after was the impenetrable, impassive and egotistic Uchiha... But at least all her efforts had seemed to pay off... After all the years of rejection - years of being ignored - she had _finally_ achieved her goals. And Naruto admired her... Admired her determination...

His childhood love had turned to respect.

"I haven't seen you for ages!" she said, smiling so freely, still by Sasuke's side.

"Hehe I know! You look great Sakura-chan!" Naruto grinned, hands clasped casually behind his head. And he wasn't lying - Sakura had grown into a woman. Elegance, intelligence and beauty oozed out of her.

"You look great as well!" Sakura said honestly. "How long has it been? 3 years?" she subconsciously moved closer towards Sasuke.

"Since you went after Sasuke? Hmm…." Naruto pondered out loud. Yep, it had been around 3 years ago. 3 years ago that she had left the village to pursue her dreams. She did the one thing that Naruto could not. She faced her fear, and went after him… And look how it had paid off. She got what she wanted, she got what she strived for. She got her happiness...

_And she deserved it._

Naruto shrugged the thoughts out of his head. "Yeah about 3 years!" he whistled. 3 short years that had seemed to last forever.... "So what made you guys return?" he asked, head inquisitively tilting to one side.

"Well, we had to return, to tell everyone the good news… We want everyone to be there!" Sakura answered, blushing faintly. Sasuke stayed stoic as usual, eyes still staring blankly at the blonde. Naruto found himself shivering under the intense gaze - just what did the Uchiha want from him? Was he looking for a reaction…? Looking for a reply? Looking for acknowledgement to the news that had spread like wild fire through the village?

"Oh yeah, congratulations about that! I can't believe you guys are getting married!" Naruto's voice sounded hollow even to his own ears, but he grinned anyway… To show Sakura how ecstatic he was for them… For her… For her happiness...

But Sakura didn't seem to notice the falseness in his voice - or if she did, she chose to ignore it - as she blushed an even deeper shade of red. She clutched onto Sasuke's arm slightly tighter, as if to assure herself that this wasn't just another one of her dreams...

_Marriage_. Naruto was still in a state of disbelief. His two teammates were getting hitched. The two that he had worked with, toiled with, ate with… They were getting married. They were going to commit themselves thoroughly to one another… And once again, Naruto was the odd one out, the third wheel… But he didn't mind because it was only to be expected. It was _accepted_ after all... But as long as Sakura was happy, he was happy right?

_As long as Sakura was happy..._

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"Thanks Naruto…" Sakura stated, shyly. She was still unsure about the blonde's feelings towards her. She knew that he used to have feelings for her, but the feelings were never mutual. Thinking back, she realised that she had often been unjustifiably cruel towards him... He had never seemed to mind though, but that was no excuse for her behaviour towards him...

And now, meeting him again, she realised that he did not look at her the way that he did before. There was still love in his eyes… Yes he still loved her, but she knew that he was not IN love with her. He had gotten over her in the 3 years that she had gone…

_Time did a lot to people._

A part of her was still in regret over the harsh ways she had treated him. Everyone in the village had always treated him with disrespect, and so it was no surprise that she also grew up hating the young boy. For no reason… For no reason at all apart from the fact that everyone else hated him...

_And if everyone else hated him, he must be bad right?_

But he was just a kid back then... What could be so bad about a kid? But she had made up excuses for her dislike though... He was too loud, he was too annoying... But it was an obvious cry for attention! Why didn't she realise it before? Why couldn't she see that _everyone_ had feelings? People laughed, cried, smiled, and frowned… Too engrossed in her own obsession towards Sasuke, she was oblivious to everybody, oblivious to everybody's emotions…

_Everybody's pain..._

And yet he was so forgiving. So completely and utterly forgiving. And she knew that one part of her would always miss the innocent ways he tried to court her, tried to get her attention, tried to get her admiration. And now he did. She admired him. She admired him a lot. She smiled appreciatively towards him...

_Just when had irritation turned to respect?_

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"Yo!" Kakashi arrived.

"YOU'RE LATE!" both Naruto and Sakura shouted simultaneously. They looked at each other and grinned. Yep, some things never changed.

Kakashi smiled, but decided to play along. "Yeh, I got lost on the way when a rabid fan girl jumped out at me from behind…" He grinned openly at the trio.

"Liar!" Sakura and Naruto grinned. Sasuke looked uninterested.

"So how are my favourite within-team couple?" Kakashi winked with his one eye that was on display. He had gotten older. But he still dressed the same as he ever did. And he was STILL reading that damned book! Gah... Hadn't his obsession died out by now?!

Naruto frowned. "They're your _only_ within-team couple..."

"Ack! I just remembered the food!" Sakura cringed outwardly. "Sorry sensei, I better go!" she murmured apologetically. She reluctantly released her grip on Sasuke, but her fingers grazed his arm softly, as if making sure that he was still there.... That he wasn't going to run away again. She smiled at him, before rushing towards the direction of the kitchen.

"Sooo… Sasuke!" Kakashi began a conversation with the cold, silent man as Naruto's thoughts drifted off again. He was here again. Even though he promised himself that he wouldn't be. In Sasuke's house. His unique smell and presence seemed to choke him from within... He had often dreamed about meeting Sasuke again, but it was never like this… Never in this situation...

The blonde idly gazed around, unsurprised that the interior was still in pretty good shape... Even though the house had been empty for 5 years, it remained untouched by the inhabitants of the village. It was like a sacred monument - a reminder of _him_. Of the _last_ of the Uchiha clan. Of his power. Of his presence...

_Of the terrifying bloodline that he possessed..._

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Naruto remembered the day that Sasuke left all too well. He was 16. He remembered sitting outside the ramen shop with Iruka, when he had heard the news from Kakashi. Sasuke hadn't turned up for any of the recent missions, which was very unusual for the stoic boy. But Naruto hadn't minded. They needed time apart. To reflect. And maybe to forget?

'_It was a mistake. Nothing more than a mistake…_'

Kakashi had naturally gotten worried after 3 days, and went to visit Sasuke at his home. There he found the house empty. Devoid of life. Devoid of anything. Just empty. Naruto hadn't believed him at first. So he went to visit as well. His feet, familiar with the path towards the Uchiha household, took him there effortlessly. He didn't bother knocking; he had been into his house before. But what Kakashi had said rang true. The house was completely empty. Completely dead. And unnaturally cold.

_Even colder than the Uchiha's eyes..._

Naruto wasn't really surprised. But he was slightly shocked that the whole ordeal between them had affected the Uchiha boy so much. So much that he had to leave…

But it was ok. He'd be back. After all, where else could he go? Give him a few days… few weeks at most. Sasuke would be back. He was strong. Nothing affected Konoha's number one rookie. Hell, Naruto wasn't even sure if he had feelings, let alone a heart! It wasn't hard to convince himself that the dark haired boy would be back. Back to fight. Back to continue their rivalry, to continue their hatred towards each other...

But he didn't come back. He didn't come back a month later. Nor even a year later. Not one sighting nor indication of the Uchiha's wellbeing had been received. Neither a sign, nor a signal. He could've been dead, lost, captured, kidnapped… Possibilities - and none of them pleasant - had drifted in and out of Naruto's mind. Was what they did so terrible? So terrible he had to run away… Did Naruto…

_Was… Was Sasuke's disappearance his fault??…_

And as the days drifted by, Naruto's hope diminished. He wasn't coming back. The one person that had acknowledged him was not going to return. He had done it again. Just like he had done all his life. He had drove him away…

He had managed to drive the most impassive, unemotional and unresponsive person ever to roam the planet, away. Away from him. Away from everything...

_He had finally melted the heart of ice - only to find it black with hate._

_---------------------------------------------------_

"Wow… She found you so soon… You two must really belong to each other!" Kakashi's voice stirred Naruto back to the present. They were idly chatting about the day Sakura had found Sasuke. Naruto's ears perked up with interest. Just what had happened anyway?

"Hn," was the reply that Sasuke gave to his old sensei.

"Ner… Sakura's way too good for him!" Naruto shouted jokingly, ignoring the swirling confusion deep inside, as he got himself involved with the conversation and laughed out loud. After all - that's what was expected from him, right? Kakashi managed a small smile; as if unsure to whether the blond ninja still harboured feelings for the pink-haired girl...

Sasuke didn't even flinch.

"I'm surprised she would go for such a cold hearted bastard. What's the point of falling for someone who is unable to love you back?" Naruto sneered, his voice colder than he had intended. It was only meant to be a slight jab, but he found himself wanting to hurt the raven-haired boy, wanting to push his buttons, wanting to get a reaction - _any_ _reaction_ but for his cold and impassive expression…

But Sasuke did nothing. He simply walked away.

Naruto quickly composed himself. He hadn't expected this to happen. He was expecting at least some sort of comeback, some sort of insult thrown. Like they did in the past. Maybe a 'shut up moron,' or 'whatever, you dobe.' Whatever Naruto had been expecting, he hadn't expected this... For the raven haired boy to walk away to willingly, so maturely, and so graciously…

It hurt Naruto. It hurt that he was walking away once again. And it had hurt that this Sasuke did not acknowledge him - did not acknowledge their past together, and probably did not acknowledge a future with him in it…

_And that had hurt more than anything..._

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End of chapter 1

Please review - or email me purrfectly679hotmail.com for comments and criticism, or if you would like to join the mailing list!

Thanks for reading, and take care x


	2. Though its breaking every rule I've ever...

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto. But if Santa is feeling generous...  
**Title**: I think I better leave right now - chapter 2**  
Author**: Purrfectly679 - e-mail purrfectly679hotmail.com for comments and suggestions. Feedback highly appreciated.  
**Rating**: PG-13, angst, bad language, slight AU. SakuSasu, hint of SasuNaru.   
**Notes**: No spoilers. This is a revised repost.

**Previously**: Sasuke is back. Naruto has just seen him for the first time in 5 years, but the Uchiha does not acknowledge him.

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Naruto sighed heavily as he leaned against the bathroom door. He hadn't expected the day to go like this. Not at all. To have him so close and yet so far... It irritated him.

Sasuke was still acting superior, but not in the ways that he did when he was 16... Back then, he would often taunt the blonde, or spar with him to parade and show off his superior strength. But now… His strength shined out from within. He had matured - he had the strength to walk away from the taunts, from the insults, from the abuse...

Naruto's efforts did nothing to him anymore.

And that was the one thing that really pissed the blonde off. The dark haired man did not seem to acknowledge him anymore - did not even seem to _notice_ his existence. Yes, Naruto was used to this, since it _was_ the common manner that the inhabitants of the village treated him... But to be rejected from a person that he had shared most of his life with… From someone he had admired… From someone who had saved his life…

_It had really hurt. _

Naruto splashed cold water over his face to cool the anger that was threatening to boil over. He gazed up into his own reflection only to see his eyes dilating rapidly, and watched with rapt fascination as the blueness of his eyes seemed to cloud over to a dark sapphire... Dark like his mood. Dark like his rival's eyes. He quickly composed himself, and flashed himself a huge smile... But even his reflection in the mirror seemed fake, forced, artificial... Since Sasuke had come back, he had been losing his touch, losing the front that he constantly put on...

_Damn Sasuke. This was all his fault._

'Com'on Naruto, pull yourself together, for Sakura's sake…' he muttered wearily to himself.

_'And for your own sake..._' he add silently.

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"Sorry for being late!" Naruto shouted, as he sprinted down the stairs. He grinned, keeping up the happy façade that he had kept on for so many years. How many people had he fooled now?

And just how many people _really_ cared?

"I hope you haven't started without me!" he whined, as his stomach growled in sync with his words.

Sakura grinned. "We wouldn't dare start dinner without you!" she exclaimed. "We know how much of a pig you are!" she added, childishly. She had decided to cook a private dinner for her teammates - as a sort of welcome back/engagement party... But it was a fairly small do - only 2 people were present, that being Naruto and Kakashi... The bigger party, where everyone was invited, was going to take place in a few days time.

Naruto smiled. He had half expected her to clobber him on the head. 3 years away did a lot to her. He decided that he liked this new and improved - mature Sakura better! Feeling slightly more cheerful, the blonde grabbed the remaining free place, and visibly flinched as he realised that it was exactly opposite his ex-rival. Sasuke didn't even glance towards his direction, which suited Naruto just fine.

"Naruto, are you ok?" Sakura asked, a little concerned about the strange emotions that were rapidly forming upon the hyperactive blonde's face.

"Of course I'm fine!" Naruto grinned back, a little too loudly. "Why wouldn't I be, Sakuraaaa-chan?" He blinked innocently towards the pink-haired girl, as his insides raged with fear. How could he be so stupid? How could he have let his mask slip, without even realising it?

_Was he losing his touch?_

"Shut up kid, you're doing my head in!" Kakashi murmured, affectionately.

"I'm not a kid no more!" Naruto pouted, although he was deeply relieved that the silver-haired man had provided a good enough topic diversion. "I've grown, and I'm bigger, and I'm strong and … and – "

"Uh huh sure...!" Kakashi rolled his eyes, interrupting the blonde's defiant speech.

Naruto stuck his tongue out childishly, before plopping down onto his chair next to his former sensei.

"So what's for dinner?" he asked, rubbing his stomach in an attempt to divert attention to the fact that he was starving.

"You know, you haven't really changed at all have you?" Kakashi interrupted, staring openly at Naruto in a slightly curious way. "You may have lost the baby fat, here-" he pinched the blonde's cheeks, "but you're still a loud mouthed klutz aren't you?"

Naruto pushed the grinning jounin away from him. "Ow… that hurt!" he pouted again. But inside he was glad. He was glad that even his old teacher couldn't see the raging emotions inside of him. He was glad that everyone saw him as they did a few years back. He was happy that no one could see that he had changed. That showed him...

_That showed Sasuke that he didn't need him. _

Even if he did... Even if he really did...

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"Wah…. It smells good!" Naruto almost drooled as Sakura brought out the food. It was plain rice served with stir-fried beef and vegetables.

"Don't drool, you baka!" Kakashi tapped the blond lightly on the head. Naruto growled menacingly.

Sasuke had still made no attempt to join his former comrade's conversations. He just sat there, staring into emptiness. Naruto began to wonder whether something terrible had happened to the Uchiha while he was away. Although there were no visible scars, maybe the inflicted wounds were mental?

_'Or maybe,' _he reasoned with himself, '_he's acting this way cos you're here…_'

The latter made more sense.

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Naruto immediately began to shove food into his mouth, in an attempt to calm the raging emotions that were threatening to spill over his face. He couldn't let it show - he couldn't let anything slip... He couldn't afford to lose his mask...

_Not now... And not ever._

It was strange - the only time that he ever felt calm was when he was eating - which probably wasn't really healthy... Of course, he usually ate ramen… But he soon realised that this stuff was just as good. He hadn't eaten a proper meal like this in months. Not that he didn't want to… It's just… It's just that there were very few opportunities to...

Especially when living alone.

"Wob Sakula, dish stuff iz gweap!" Naruto said in between mouths full of food. He swallowed ungracefully. "I didn't know you could cook!" he exclaimed happily, as if he just made a once in a lifetime exciting discovery. He idly wondered what other skills the pink-haired girl had picked up during her long absence from Konoha...

Sakura frowned and hid a furious blush while remembering the cookbook that she had consulted. "Of course I can cook you idiot!" She looked thoughtful for a moment before adding, "And don't chew with your mouth full."

"Yes ma'm!" Naruto answered mischievously. But to tell the truth, he was actually feeling quite contented surrounded by his former teammates and sensei - that's if you ignored all the raging confusion and nausea that Sasuke's presence fuelled. But in a way, he was glad to know that the Uchiha was still alive, still breathing, still… _there_... He had missed them... He had missed them a lot...

And whether he would admit it or not, he had missed him the most.

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After seconds, and thirds from Naruto, it was time for dessert. Homemade ice cream. Unfortunately, at his haste to get as much down as quick as possible, Naruto ended up choking and spilling half of his mouth's content over Sasuke's face.

The room went silent.

Naruto had envisaged the dark-haired ninja to attack him. Maybe throw him out. Or at least glare one of his famous 'Uchiha cold stares' at him.

But he did none of these. He calmly walked to the bathroom, cleaned himself up, then returned as sullenly as he left. His expression was blank - without even the barest hint of an emotion. Which was, in fact, much more frightening than the latter.

Naruto offered no word of apology. He was too shocked, frozen with disbelief. He just sat there, dumbfounded, staring at the dark haired ninja, willing him to react, willing him to shout, to acknowledge him... But Sasuke refused to look at him in the eye. Which had hurt Naruto even more.

'_Come on Naruto! Apologise!_' he silently cursed himself. But his body refused to obey his commands. Why should he apologise? Why should he apologise to this man? This man who had spent the whole night making him feel like a stranger; making him feel _so_ damn unwelcome…

Yet why was Naruto surprised with his reaction? He should've expected it, seen it coming... That's why Naruto wanted to avoid him, right? To avoid the rejection, to avoid the pain... To avoid the inevitable hurt...

Not everyone found it easy to forgive, to forget...

_Even if they HAD moved on._

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After finishing dessert in tense silence, Sakura and Sasuke both went into the kitchen to clean up.

"Hehe she got him trained already!" Naruto joked to his former sensei. He didn't really want to talk about Sasuke... He didn't want to think about him, talk about him, have _anything_ to do with him... But he wasn't going to ignore him - even if he had wanted nothing better than to be as far away as possible from the Uchiha.... He was Naruto right? And Naruto made jokes, and got on everybody's nerves...

_He couldn't risk the others getting suspicious... _

"Hmm he does seem awfully quiet today, don't you think?" Kakashi murmured softly, just loud enough for the blonde to hear. Naruto forced his expression to remain calm as the older jounin looked at him curiously, as if suspecting him of having something to do with it...

"Really? I haven't noticed…" Naruto answered hastily, cringing as he immediately diverted his eyes. He found it hard to lie to his sensei. Which he gave away pretty quickly by looking into another direction. Maybe it was because of that one eye on display, giving the impression that it had enough experience on its own to see everyone and _everything_. Or maybe it had something to do with the powers of the Sharingan. Either way, it seemed as if the copycat ninja knew much more than he let on...

That he read people easier than they _ever_ thought possible...

"Yeah, he's changed… Matured maybe? I don't know…" Kakashi chose his words carefully, still keeping that one eye focused securely upon the kitsune.

"Yeah, he's probably changed the most out of us…" Naruto said half truthfully, excluding himself from the 'us.'

"He seems to tolerate you a lot more than he used to!" Kakashi brightened up, still watching Naruto firmly, looking for a reaction.

Naruto winced. It wasn't toleration...

It was total ignorance.

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Naruto spent another 2 hours in the Uchiha household that night. They spent the time in the lounge, talking and catching up on the old times... The blonde laughed, joked, and made lots of noise - just how everyone had expected from the hyperactive ninja... Random topics were glibly covered - about Kakashi's constant lateness, Rock Lee's eyebrows, Neji and his bizarre outlook on life and Hinata and her new career as a medic...

"So are you and Hinata an item yet?" Sakura gushed, as the subject of the dark-haired girl was brought up.

Naruto stared at her blankly. "Eh...? Hinata?!" he asked incredulously, his eyebrows drawn in confusion.

The pink-haired girl looked bewildered. "Don't tell me you didn't know! She's had a crush on you since... Since forever!!"

The blonde chuckled in amusement. What a joke! Hinata likes him? Hehe... Sakura _sure_ had strange ideas...

No one saw the dark look that flitted over Sasuke's calm features.

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Naruto continued to laugh and joke on the outside, even as his mind swirled furiously in confusion. It had always been a skill of his - being able to ramble on about things without even thinking about it... It was almost like second nature to him...

At the moment, his mind was swimming with erratic thoughts of the unresponsive Uchiha, even as his voice prattled on about the new ramen stall near the village market. He sighed inwardly - he never did understand the dark-haired boy, and he doubted that he ever will...

Just how could anyone act so cold? Sasuke had it all – the attention, the respect, the admiration. Yet he threw it all away. He had everything Naruto had ever wanted, desired, ever wanted to achieve... Yet he acted like _that_… Acted so impassive… So _cool_…

Didn't he know how lucky he was…?

But the crucial question still lingered unanswered on the blonde's mind. Just why was he here?! Why was he here after those countless promises? After all those countless pledges... He kept convincing himself that it was for Sakura, but his heart didn't accept that as an adequate excuse... No matter how much he valued her happiness, this was too much.... To be breathing the same air as the heir to the Uchiha clan was too much...

_It was all too much… _

He didn't think it would be like this… All those countless dreams, all those countless scenarios that had played furiously through his mind… None of those had prepared him for this… For this feeling... This damn intense feeling...

And the feeling scared him. He needed to leave. Now. To go before anything else happened that he might regret... Before he himself cracked under the pressure... Before history could have even the _slightest_ chance to repeat itself...

_History should never repeat itself!_

Only then he realised, slightly dishearteningly, that he had to avoid them - avoid the happy couple before they were no longer a happy couple... Plans rapidly formulated within the kitsune's mind. He'd stay separated, keep his distance.... They didn't need him - they could do fine without him... After all, they had been doing it for 3 years, right?

And it's not like he'd disappear completely… He'd still watch them from afar, just to make sure they were ok... He'd be their secret protector... Or something like that...

And he'd still have the memories... As long as he had the memories, then everything would be ok…

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"Ehh… Sakura-chan, I think I better leave now… It's getting late and I promised to help Iruka-sensei in the morning… So uh… Thanks for dinner and everything!" Naruto grinned, while scratching the back of his head with one arm, looking extremely childish, yet successfully hiding all his troubled thoughts.

"Leave already? But I was having fun catching up on the old times… Can't you stay just a little longer?" Sakura glanced at the clock that hung upon the wall. "I mean, its only 10pm…"

Naruto forced out a laugh. "I would really love to but uh… I'm really tired… And you know Iruka-sensei… He doesn't like it when I'm late… And he's always on time, unlike _someone._" Naruto coughed and looked accusingly at Kakashi.

Kakashi whistled nonchalantly.

"Well could you come visit again? Like… As in tomorrow or the day after? I want you to help plan the engagement party if you could…" Sakura asked, eyes shining brightly.

Naruto looked away. "I uh… I'm not sure… I think I'm busy those days…"

"Oh please Naruto! What's more important than your two teammates?" Sakura added, a hint of desperation in her voice. She surprised herself as much as everyone else, as she realised she really DID want him to help… She had missed the hyperactive boy more than she would've ever thought possible... Missed his warmth, missed his energy, missed the light that he represented. And hell, did she need some light after the years that she had been through!

But why ask for his help?! Missing him was one thing, but getting him to help with something as important as the engagement party was like signing her own death contract! He'd probably act like a moron and ruin everything, just like he used to do in the past… She chuckled inwardly - it sure was funny though... Anyway, its not like Sasuke ever voiced his opinions...

And she kinda missed having someone to talk to...

She smiled resolutely, determined to make it up to the blonde - make up for all the years of hurt she had unwittingly inflicted upon him. All the ignorance, the rejections, the insults...

And the pain. Most importantly, the pain.

-----------------------

"But it's an engagement party… Shouldn't you two plan it yourselves? …" Naruto asked, then went silent as he saw the disappointment evident upon the pink-haired girl's face. Just why did she want him there so bad? She never seemed to care before… And it wasn't as if an engagement party is all that special… I mean, the wedding's more important right? …And what did he know about parties? He hadn't been invited to one in his whole entire life, let alone attend one!

Sakura stayed silent, her saddened expression biting away painfully at Naruto. This was the first time he had seen her in 3 years, and yet instead of making her happy, he had made her sad. All those scenarios, all those dreams… Hurting her hadn't even crossed his mind! This wasn't meant to happen! Oh why did he always hurt the ones he loved?

"I…" Naruto sighed, feeling his resolve slightly melting. "I'm… I'm sorry… But I have really important things to do..."

_'Stay strong Naruto!_' he chided himself. He couldn't afford to break down. He had to go, to avoid him before it was all too late... Before it was too late to apologise...

_Before it was too late to regret._

"But you'll be here for the party right?" Sakura asked, her eyes betraying the hope that shined from within. Naruto looked away. He couldn't do this. He just couldn't.

"I… I'm not sure…."

"Naruto!" Sakura's voice tore at him, filled with confusion. "Why not? You have to be there! You're our teammate! What else could you possibly do that's more important?"

"I…" Naruto had no answer. He felt Kakashi's curious gaze upon him. He squirmed under the scrutiny. After convincing himself he had to stay away, he felt himself breaking under Sakura's words. Couldn't she see? They were better off without him! Just why was she making this so difficult for him? Even if it seemed as though he were abandoning them… In the long run it was all for the best. She'd see that in the end… If he just detached himself out of her life now, she wouldn't hate him in the future... He couldn't stand it if she hated him...

_He just couldn't._

"I'll try!" Naruto flashed her one of his infamous grins, feeling extremely guilty for lying outright to his childhood crush. But it was for the best… Things couldn't go wrong when he wasn't around. As long as she was happy…

Sakura visibly relaxed, as she incorrectly took Naruto's answer as a yes. She immediately cheered up. "Thanks Naruto!" she added, and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

The old Naruto would've blushed and run around in a maniacal frenzy. But the older Naruto just smiled back warmly, deceptively hiding the raging guilt that was burning him from within.

From then on, both Naruto and Sakura knew that their relationship had changed. Long gone were the days of crushes and physical attraction, even if they DID only come on Naruto's behalf. They were now firm friends. And Naruto realised he liked it this way more, and hoped that it would last forever…

In fact, since he now promised himself to stay out of their lives, he KNEW their friendship would last forever. The immediate guilt that he had felt for lying to her, for letting her down – it had all but instantly faded away. It was all for the best... She wouldn't hate him. She wouldn't hate him like everyone else had, like Sasuke had... He wouldn't give her the opportunity to...

He smiled freely for the first time in a very long time.

"See you later guys!" he lied cheerfully. '_Goodbye Sakura. I love you…_' he added silently, before making his way out of the Uchiha house for the final time.

------------------------------------

Back in the house, Kakashi eyed the Uchiha boy warily. Even though no one else had noticed it, it was hard to fool the copycat ninja of Konoha. When Sakura had pecked Naruto's cheek as a sign of affection, the dark haired boy had definitely and visibly flinched.

_'So I guess you DO have a heart after all… Who would've thought you'd be so protective over Sakura? But to ignore Naruto like that, just because you thought he was a threat… Hmm… You're more interesting than you let on, Sasuke-kun...__'_

_'Maybe... Maybe you're not as cold as you would like to believe...'_

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End of chapter 2

Please review - or email me purrfectly679hotmail.com for comments and criticism, or if you would like to join the mailing list!

[grabs Sasuke and makes him plead along with me]   
Sasuke: [glares] Hmph.  
(TRANSLATION OF SASUKE TALK: Yes please review! You people out there are absolutely gorgeous. If you review I might decide to strip tease for all of you out there... And then I'll censored and censored...)  
Naruto: Eurghhh Sasuke stop being so dirty!  
(N.B: Naruto is the only person alive that can fully comprehend Sasuke talk)

Thanks for reading, and take care x


	3. My racing heart, is just the same

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto. But if anyone wants to get me an early b-day gift...  
**Title**: I think I better leave right now - chapter 3**  
Author**: Purrfectly679 - e-mail purrfectly679hotmail.com for comments and suggestions. Feedback highly appreciated.  
**Rating**: PG-13, angst, bad language, slight AU. SakuSasu, hint of SasuNaru.   
**Notes**: No spoilers. This is a revised repost.

**Previously**: Sasuke is still acting impassive. Naruto decides to avoid the happy couple before 'history could repeat itself.'

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The day of the party finally arrived.

Naruto was still sitting at home in a semi-daze when his doorbell rang for the first time. Rather reluctantly, he went to open the door, juggling the idea of faking an illness to miss the upcoming event.

It was Kakashi.

"Yo!" his former sensei chirped happily. A little too happy for 9am Sunday morning.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto groaned weakly, deciding to employ the sickness excuse after all. He grabbed his stomach for extra effect.

"What's wrong with you?" Kakashi inquired, ignoring Naruto's question and looking the blonde boy up and down in a somewhat fatherly fashion.

"I think I'm ill…" Naruto continued weakly, extremely pleased with himself for coming up with such a brilliant plan. He coughed painfully.

"Uh huh… I guess you should get some rest then…" Kakashi's voice dropped down a tone, disappointment evident in his voice. '_Woo hoo my sensei fell for it! That means everyone else will too!_' Naruto thought happily to himself.

"Ugh…. Could you please tell Sakura I'm sorry… Ahh… And that I'll make it up to her…" Naruto emphasised the 'ughs' and 'ahhs' for realism.

"You can tell her yourself…. You Baka," came the unsympathetic reply.

"WHAT! I'm ill and you STILL call me a Baka?!" Naruto shouted incredulously, suddenly energetic, blowing his cover without even realising it. Naruto muttered a small 'epp' before covering his mouth with his hands.

Kakashi grinned. "You are a fool. That nine tails fox sealed inside of you has grown stronger. And since you've been able to control it, your two beings have somewhat fused. Your immune system has evolved and is now virtually indestructible. There's no way you can still get ill... Anyways," Kakashi smiled. "I've come to give you this."

Kakashi threw a small brown envelope into Naruto's hands.

"Well… See you there then. Oh… and dress properly. Bye!" Kakashi waved, and disappeared with a puff of smoke.

Naruto sighed, before looking at himself critically, wondering just what the hell the silver-haired jounin was on about when he said '_dress_ _properly_...'

He cringed as he noticed a big tear down the front of his boxers.

------------------------------------------

Kakashi knew that Naruto was lying to Sakura. He hoped that his early morning visit might somehow change the blonde's mind - make him come to the party - make him realise just how much she _really_ needed him…

After all, the poor girl must be bored witless having Sasuke as a constant companion!

But jokes aside, something definitely wasn't right… Naruto had been acting really strange ever since the 'happy' couple had returned... Fidgety, extra alertness and jumpiness… And he hadn't even been able to smile sincerely since then… Kakashi sighed in frustration. The idiot had probably thought that no one had noticed…

But they… They were friends right? What could have possibly happened between them all? For Naruto to act this way, for Sasuke to act this way…? Well, since Sakura seemed oblivious to the tension, what could've possibly happened between the other two? There had been enough electricity in the air that night to power the village for years to come! Maybe Naruto still had feelings for Sakura, and Sasuke somehow found out? But no, that couldn't be it… Naruto's too straightforward, too easy to read... He could _never_ lie to the one he loved... So there _had_ to be something else... Something else that was great enough to drive the blonde to evading his former companions...

But whatever the was avoiding, he couldn't avoid it forever right?

'_Just what are you hiding Naruto-kun?_" Kakashi murmured softly to himself. He didn't want to get involved. Not really. In fact, he hated busybodies. But somehow, he felt that this was somewhat important. Important enough for him to go against his values and get involved...

Important enough to become a hypocrite for...

-----------------------------------

Naruto stared suspiciously at the small brown envelope held tightly within his hands. If Kakashi gave it to him, then it couldn't be a good thing, right? But it was rude not to accept - especially when said man had come _specifically_ to deliver it...

Sighing a little in curiosity, the blonde ninja of Konoha slowly opened the envelope, only to find a small sheet of paper tucked inside. Naruto carefully slipped the piece of paper out, interested to what Kakashi had delivered and whom it was from. It should be important right? Especially for the lazy jounin to actually turn up at 9am Sunday morning...

_'Don't let her down. You'll hurt her more than you think you could.'_

It was a note - Kakashi's messy handwriting in black ink. Naruto frowned in confusion. What did this mean? How does he know? _What_ does he know? Does he… _know_? Naruto's heart fluttered uncertainty in fear. No… he couldn't have found out. The only people that knew about _that_ was him and Sasuke, and he was _sure_ that Sasuke wouldn't have said anything…

And just what did he mean by hurting her? Her as in Sakura right? But Kakashi should've known that he would _never_ hurt the pink-haired girl, no matter _what_ happened...

Naruto felt anger and frustration building within him. Why was his former, emphasising the word _former_, sensei getting involved anyway? He didn't know anything! He was in no position to judge! When it all went bad, when it all went wrong, he would be the blamed one - not Kakashi, not anyone else... He was the one that would have to live with the guilt and the remorse...

He was the one that would have to live with the hate.

Naruto scrunched up the sheet of paper angrily. How could he possibly _not_ hurt her, if he didn't get out of her life now? How could he hurt her more than he's already… _already done…?_ Oh he'd love to stay in her life, stay with them all, laughing, joking, playing… Did they think that he didn't want that? Did they think that he WANTED to stay away? He would love NOTHING better than to be with them, be with the ones he loved…

_Be with them all forever..._

But he knew that it couldn't possibly happen. Not with Sasuke there - not with their past and their history... He couldn't risk it - he couldn't risk history repeating itself... Naruto's stomach fluttered uncomfortably and his heart clenched painfully. If only he hadn't been _so_ stupid... If only he hadn't gotten himself involved…

Yet why was everyone making it so hard for him? He was trying his best… Trying his best to detach himself… The process itself was difficult enough, let alone having everyone else discourage him…

He had even considered moving away, moving out of the village away from the happy 'couple.' But where could he go? That was the downside to having no parents - you had absolutely nowhere to go, and no one to go to. Konoha was the only place that he had ever called home. Could he give that up for her? For them? … Oh how he wished he could. He really wished he could. But his heart wouldn't. Maybe he was just too selfish…

_And he despised himself for that._

He sighed, feeling the initial anger slowly ebb away leaving nothing but a hollow void of despair. Kakashi didn't know anything. It wasn't his fault - it wasn't his fault everything had to turn out like this... He didn't know the consequences, the end results… The copycat ninja didn't know that the blonde's presence was deadly. It could kill anything, drive anyone away… It had even driven Sasuke the ice bitch away for God's sake!! Kakashi had just acted on impulse, not anything else... It showed that he cared... Naruto should be happy...

_He should be happy that someone still cared…_

The kitsune glanced at unravelling sheet of paper in his hands. The words jumped out at him… '_Don't let her down. You'll hurt her more than you think you could…_'

Yes… Maybe… Maybe he was letting her down now. But it'll all turn out for the best.

_It just had to._

----------------------------------------

"Hi Sakura-chan!" Ino beamed as she met her ex-rival at the front door to the Uchiha house. "I haven't seen you in ages…" she leapt up to the pink-haired girl and encased her in a tight hug. "You look great!" Ino smiled, as tears pricked her eyes. God she had missed the big forehead girl. Much more than she was willing to admit.,,

Sakura laughed, a true laugh filled with happiness. "Looks like I got the man after all," she whispered smugly, hugging the blonde girl back with just as much passion. Ino hadn't changed a lot. She had grown taller, fairer, and more graceful. But she was still Ino. To Sakura, she'd always be the Ino-pig...

"Hehe… Yes you did. You've won…" Ino drawled, as she released herself from the embrace. "But I have to say… It was only a childhood crush… You know, if you actually open your eyes and look around you, you'd see that there are some people that rate much better than your Uchiha heir…" she added mischievously, eyes glinting to show that she was only teasing.

But it was true. Since her obsession with Sasuke had ended, the blonde haired girl had turned to other people - other people who she hadn't looked at in a certain light before... Sure Shikamaru was lazy, and he got annoyed easily… But he had a good heart. And he could talk about pretty interesting things… Unlike Sasuke. She cringed inwardly, as she imagined spending her whole life with the impassive and unresponsive dark haired boy. Sure he was cute… In fact, he was very _very_ cute, but he probably couldn't hold a conversation if it had come up to him in a bucket with big handles...

Anyway, looks were only skin deep. And they didn't last forever.

"Oh my god, I cant believe you're actually getting married to him!" Ino squealed, rather exaggeratedly. Sure she didn't have feelings for the Uchiha heir anymore, but that didn't mean she wouldn't support her former rival. After all, that's what friends did for each other.

"I know…" Sakura's voice went soft. "I… I always thought that it was too good to be real… Know what I mean? That I might someday wake up and see him gone all over again…" her voiced trailed off, as her expression instantly saddened.

_'She's got it bad… After all these years, she still has it bad for him…'_ Ino thought to herself.

"Hey why get upset?!" the blonde girl became irritated. "It's your engagement party remember! Geez, the fact that there's a ring on your finger means that he can't just run away! And why the hell would he run away from you anyway?" Ino demanded, successfully wringing out a reluctant smile from the pink-haired girl. "Anyways, you going to show me that ring or not? Go ahead and make me more jealous!"

Sakura blushed as Ino winked teasingly, and shyly held out her hand. Today had been the first time that she had worn the ring since they had purchased it from the jewellers. And so what if she had been the one to propose? They were living in a modern society - girls could propose if they had wanted to.

And she had wanted to.

The ring was a small silver band, simple but endearing to her. That was mainly because Sasuke had actually given his opinion on it! She had originally opted for the gold ring with the fancy swirls upon it, but the raven-haired boy had chosen the plain band. "This one's better…" he had murmured. So she had immediately bought the plain, but more expensive band...

She had promised herself to only to wear it from the day they announced their engagement. It was the day where everyone was told, the day that it became official. Then there was no way that Sasuke would run off again. She smiled to herself. After today, she had no reason to ever feel insecure again... It was real... It was really happening....

She didn't have to fear waking up anymore.

-----------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, Naruto had somehow managed to get dressed. His black t-shirt clung to his torso, showing off his toned arms and toned stomach, product of many days training. Naruto grimaced. He hadn't been shopping in ages, and his clothes were getting just a little too uncomfortably tight. He wore light khaki pants, the waistband resting just slightly below his belly button. His seal was still there, but the colouring had become less and less visible - almost fading entirely to the naked eye. Anyway, since everyone now knew who he was, and _what_ he was… There was no longer any need nor desire to hide it...

With a frustrated sigh, the blonde ran his fingers through his messy hair. He needed to get out of the house before anyone else came to find him... He had suffered enough guilt for one day...

His stomach growled.

But before he did that, just _one_ more bowl of ramen…

-----------------------------------

Naruto wandered to the edge of Konoha village, to the dense forest that he had frequently trained within. He began his work out furiously, needing to burn away his excess energy, his pent up frustration, and his overwhelming guilt…

"Kage bushin no jutsu!" he yelled, and immediately a shadow clone was produced for him to spar with.

He punched, jumped and kicked to his heart's content, while turbulent thoughts surged frantically through his mind.

_'You'll just end up hurting her… Them…'_

_'She won't hate you if you're out of her life…'_

_'Everyone will hate you. Sooner or later, everyone will hate you.'_

_'Stay away! You monster! Stay away from us!'_

_'Don't talk to him son. You'll ruin your reputation…'_

2 hours later, Naruto slumped heavily to the ground, exhausted as his clone finally disappeared with a puff of smoke.

_'Don't let her down. You'll hurt her more than you think you could.'_

-----------------------------------------

Sakura looked at her watch. It was already 3pm, and still no sign of Naruto. It was nice seeing everyone again – Ino, Shikamaru, Hinata, Neji, Shino, Kiba… But the gang seemed down, seemed _incomplete_ without the hyperactive blonde. Sasuke was just grunting and 'hmphing' to everyone, which wasn't really all that out of the ordinary. Not _really_. Anyway, after the experience that they had been through together, it was probably normal for the usually stoic boy to become even more introverted...

_Probably._

"Hi…Hi Sa-Sakura… Have… Have you seen N-N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata stuttered, and blushed furiously as she looked at the floor.

The pink-haired girl frowned. Just where was he? He was coming, wasn't he?

"Yo!" Kakashi suddenly appeared out of nowhere, scaring the two girls half to death. "Naruto still not here?" he asked, face still buried in his perverted 'Icha icha paradise' novel.

Sakura gave him a exasperated look. "Just _where_ do you come from?! And why are you always late?!"

---------------------------------------

Naruto felt a presence behind him. He immediately sat up, heart beating furiously, wondering who the hell managed to get so close to him without him noticing until now.

"It's only me."

Naruto relaxed, recognising the voice of his former sensei, Kakashi… KAKASHI?! What the hell was HE doing here?!

"How did you find me?" the blonde blurted out, forgetting the fact that he was meant to be hiding the fact that he was hiding...

"You always come here to train or when you're trying to avoid something. So I put two and two together... I didn't become a Jounin for nothing you know…" Kakashi rolled his one eye as he sat down beside the unusually subdued ninja. "So, you gonna tell me why you're here and not there?"

"No," Naruto answered stubbornly. He didn't feel like having company. He wanted to be alone - just wanted to be left alone to think… Was that too much to ask?

Kakashi sighed. "I… Normally I don't like to get involved, you know…" the copycat ninja trailed off, before going completely silent.

A few minutes passed, with the two sitting in companionable silence, bar the sound of the wind and the birds in the trees. When Naruto realised that the older jounin wasn't going to continue, curiosity got the better of him.

"So why are you? Getting involved that is..."

Kakashi held back a grin. So this wasn't completely hopeless. "Because you're acting like a twat."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I'M ACTING LIKE A TWAT?!?!" Naruto shouted, his fists clenched in defiant outrage. The birds squawked haughtily, before flying away from the direction of the irate blonde. It was hard to believe that only a moment ago, the blonde was on the edge of exhaustion, slumped almost motionless upon the ground…

'_His stamina never ceases to amaze me…_' Kakashi thought to himself with an amused smile.

"Well then tell me why you're here and not at the party like you're supposed to be… Like you promised?"

Naruto remained silent. He couldn't tell his sensei. He just couldn't. He couldn't let his mask slip... And most importantly he couldn't let the silver-haired man find out about 'the secret'...

_The secret reason why Sasuke left..._

"What happened Naruto?" Kakashi sighed, extremely wearily. "What happened for you to break promises like that? For you to turn your back on your 'way of the ninja'?"

_'Way of the ninja…'_ Naruto was in shock. He hadn't thought about the situation like _that_ before... Breaking promises was one thing that he never did. _Never ever did_...

But… But it was all for the best right? Kakashi didn't know the consequences. He didn't know. Sometimes promises had to be broken. To protect the ones he loved, certain sacrifices had to be made…

_No matter how much it hurt._

"Do you really think that avoiding them is for the best?" Kakashi's words bit into him slowly and painfully… Naruto couldn't say anything, couldn't even react. But his insides were screaming for his former sensei to stop - he didn't want to hear it, he didn't want to feel the guilt... It was so hard - so hard to convince himself that it was all for the best... Why was Kakashi ruining everything? He didn't want to be hated, not by her, not by them… He couldn't…

_He couldn't be hated by them!_

"Did you ever think about how they'd feel?" the silver-haired man continued his verbal assault upon the blonde Shinobi. "Did you ever think about how your actions would affect her?" His voice dropped down a tone and became slightly gentler as he realised they were having the desired affect. The kitsune appeared to be cracking under the pressure. Cracking slowly, but cracking nevertheless.

"You don't understand," Naruto's voice was raspy, as if it took a great deal of strength on his behalf to keep it cool, keep it steady.

"Why don't you tell me?" Kakashi reached out a hand and carefully touched Naruto's arm. He didn't want to alarm the boy, but he knew that the blonde probably craved physical contact at that very moment in time. Although he wasn't very good at it, the older man was still determined to try his very best at the art of comforting... After all, a teacher was a teacher for life... It was a responsibility that he couldn't escape...

And it was a responsibility that he didn't _want_ to escape.

"They'll… She'll hate me…" the blonde whispered, eyes lowered, avoiding Kakashi's gaze. Why was he breaking? He promised himself not to break, especially in front of someone he admired, someone he cared about... He had already broken countless promises to himself, why was he going to break another one? Why was he showing his weak side?

...But the older Shinobi's words, those words have started some sort of chemical reaction within the him. It made him feel desperate - made him feel as if he didn't talk, he'd regret it for the rest of his life...

Kakashi patted Naruto on the back awkwardly. He wasn't very good at this, but he was glad that his words were somehow getting through. He made a murmur of acknowledgement, encouraging the kitsune to continue.

"I… If I go now, she… They… They can't hate me…" Naruto's breath hitched, as he desperately tried to keep his tears back.

"Why would they hate you?" Kakashi's voice was soft, soothing… The blonde wanted to trust him... _Wanted to tell him everything..._

"Everyone hates me…" Naruto whispered, as sharp pain tore at his heart. "She'll… they'll end up hating me… All of them… Like…" _Sasuke._ Naruto became rigid with shock. He didn't just tell Kakashi about the Uchiha... Did he?

Kakashi felt the boy tense. Although he didn't finish his sentence, the older ninja knew whom the blonde boy was referring to. Uchiha Sasuke... But just what had happened between them two? They were such good friends… Ok maybe not _normal_ friends… More like friends in the dysfunctional sense, to be honest… But friends in their own bizarre way nevertheless…

After all - hadn't Sasuke risked his life to save the blonde on more than one occasion? Surely such a strong bond wouldn't have been broken so easily...

_So just what could've happened between them?_

"Naruto…" Kakashi's voice was gentle but firm. "Don't you trust them? Your friends…?"

"Of course I do!" Naruto exclaimed, visibly annoyed at being asked such a stupid question. He loved them. He was even willing to give up his own happiness for them.

"Then why do you think that they'll hate you? You haven't even given them the chance… How would you feel if you were in her place? In their place? How would you feel if she just abandoned you, and started to ignore you for no apparent reason?"

Naruto remained silent. God sometimes his former sensei just had to be so infuriatingly right.

"So you want me to go back and tell her that you want nothing to do with her ever again? Just because you _think_ she's gonna hate you, like you _think_ everyone else does?"

"I…" Naruto didn't know what to say. His sensei was right… Wasn't he? Well... He _did_ made sense... He shouldn't prejudge her… There was a chance that she wouldn't hate him, right? She wasn't like the rest of the villagers… She was too special to be like the rest of them…

But… Sasuke… Naruto had thought he was special too. And now the raven-haired boy hated him, just like everyone else did… But maybe he shouldn't judge Sakura on the basis of the Uchiha… Right? Conflicting thoughts ran through the blonde's mind. What was he supposed to do?…

Regrettably, he felt his initial thoughts and promises slowly slip away from him… again.

Kakashi stood up. "So you coming or not?"

Naruto nodded uncertainly. Whether he would admit it or not, the copycat ninja had actually made a lot of sense. He wouldn't let her down. Not again. And he wouldn't hurt her. Ever... She wouldn't hate him if he didn't do anything wrong... So he'll just have to be extra careful and do nothing wrong... He'll be there for her when she needed him. And when she didn't need him, he'd be waiting on the sidelines…

Just in case.

And Sasuke? Well he could just piss off for all he cared. There was no way that history would repeat itself - no way. He _wouldn__'t_ let it happen. Too much was at stake, too much at risk... Naruto felt his confidence slowly return to him, as he stumbled steadily onto his feet.

"I'm coming," Naruto replied to the grinning jounin. He was coming to fulfill his promise.

Because that was his way of the ninja.

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End of chapter 3

Wahey thanks for the lovely reviews! [grins] and I guess I have Sasuke to thank for most of them o.O;;  
So...er... Saskue... dear... A-Are you going to strip like... l-l-like you promised? [nervously twiddles thumbs]  
Sasuke: [glares] Go. Away.  
(TRANSLATION: I'll only [censored] and [censored] then [double censored] if Naruto [censored] me!)  
_(Naruto happens to be walking past at that exact moment)  
_Naruto: [gasp] Sasuke! I would never, ever... Arghhhh... runs away screaming

Thanks for reading, and take care x


	4. Why make it strong, to break it again?

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto. I mean, if I did, there'll be a lot of naked Sasuke...   
**Title**: I think I better leave right now - chapter 4**  
Author**: Purrfectly679 - e-mail purrfectly679hotmail.com for comments and suggestions. Feedback highly appreciated.  
**Rating**: PG-13, angst, bad language, slight AU. SakuSasu, hint of SasuNaru.   
**Notes**: No spoilers. This is a revised repost.

**Previously**: Naruto decides to fulfill his promise and go to the party.

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"Hi Sakuraaaaa-chan! Sorry I'm late!" Naruto bounced into the Uchiha house, happier than he had ever remembered being. He was glad he had the talk with Kakashi. His sensei had put things into perspective for him, and he appreciated that. After all, he didn't really want to avoid them, avoid his friends, avoid the people he loved… He would've missed them too much.

_Way too much._

"You're late…" came Sakura's stern reply. "Naruto, I think you've been hanging out with Kakashi-sensei a little _too_ much!" her green eyes glinted teasingly as her face broke out into a huge smile.

The blonde grinned and scratched the back of his head boyishly, relieved that he had changed his mind after all. That smile... It meant she cared, right...?

It meant she really _did_ care...

"Hey Naruto! You're looking great!" Ino greeted Naruto as he entered into the main room. She looked him up and down, and whistled appreciatively under her breath. Boy had he grown up to be a _fine_ specimen of a man! Who would've thought the hyperactive klutz of 8 years back could turn into this, _this fine thing_! If anyone had told her that he'd end up looking like _this_ back then, she would've punched them before laughing hysterically in their face!

"Eh…?" Naruto looked puzzled as he glanced down at his messy training clothes. Did she say that he looked good? He frowned - was she being sarcastic again?

"Hey hey!" muttered Shikamaru as he suddenly appeared behind the blonde-haired girl, hands on his hips, with an annoyed expression gracing his features.

"Not as good as you though darling…" Ino whispered, so that no one else but the lazy shinobi could hear. Shikamaru flushed a light shade of pink, gave Naruto a nod of acknowledgement, before leaving the girls and the blonde Shinobi to their own devices.

"Help yourself to some drinks ok?" Sakura grinned and pointed towards a table in the far left corner of the room.

Naruto smiled brightly. Things were finally starting to look up.

--------------------------------

"Ugh… This tastes funny!" Naruto grimaced, as he helped himself to a drink from the punch bowl. He scanned his surroundings for a familiar face, before his eyes locked onto a small dark-haired girl. "Hey Hinata!" he shouted, even though she was only standing a few feet away. "How have you been? I haven't seen you in ages…!"

Hinata crept closer, twiddling her thumbs nervously while gazing at the floor. She still looked the same as she did the last time Naruto had seen her, which was only about a year ago... But to Sasuke and Sakura, who had been away for a couple of years, she had definitely changed the most out of them all... She had become taller and more slender, and her hair had grown much longer. At that moment, it hung silkily and loosely around her shoulders. She was much more attractive, gaining a timeless ethereal beauty - losing all the childish features she had possessed only a few years back... But her eyes were still the same, still innocent and naïve... They were the eyes of a pure soul – from the rare type of people that were genuinely good...

The fact that she loved Naruto still remained true till this very day. But the blonde had always found her weird. And that fact hadn't changed either. After all, Naruto was never one to judge other people on looks... And that was the reason why, although much more confident about her looks and the way others perceived her; Hinata was still, and will always be, a nervous wreck around the confident blonde Shinobi...

"H-Hi… N-N-Naruto-kun…" she stuttered. "You… You look g-good…" she glanced at her feet and blushed a bright shade of red. She had never been able to hide her feelings well, and that hadn't changed either…

"Hey does this taste funny to you?" the blonde asked, as he thrust the drink into Hinata's hands, unintentionally ignoring the comment and the deepening blush that was creeping across her face. He shrugged. She was _really_ weird. She even had weird skin problems...

Hinata took a little sip. "It… It t-tastes f-f-fine, N-Naruto-kun…"

"No it _doesn't…_" Naruto whined and snatched the drink from the dark haired girl's trembling hands. Hinata whimpered, blushed red, and immediately lowered her head down to hide behind her hair. Naruto didn't seem to notice this, as he glared menacingly at the orange coloured beverage... He then sought out his next victim to taste the drink.

Hinata sighed; keeping her head down, hoping no one else had seen her act like an idiot... Why did she always act like a fool in front of him?

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Kakashi smiled to himself. He had _finally_ done something right! _Yaay_! Naruto was here and everyone had instantly seemed brighter and happier. That boy didn't know what a huge difference his presence made to everyone! Even _Shikamaru_ had looked more alive… _If_ that was possible…

"My rival! We meet once again! How I hath waited for this day, this moment, this instance… This time I shall prove my superiority… Ha ha ha!" Like all jounins did, the man known as _Gai-sensei _suddenly appeared from out of nowhere...

"Hmmm did you say something?" Kakashi eyed the man in the green jump suit in front of him, warily.

Gai immediately turned a bright shade of red, clenching his fists in anger, as he muttered curses aimed at the copycat ninja under his breath. Kakashi held back a grin. This man never ceased to amuse him. He was so predictable, so comprehensible... He was so easy to play - so easy to irritate....

And irritating him happened to be one of Kakashi's _favourite_ pastimes.

"So… where's your little buddy?" the silver-haired man asked nonchalantly, trying to sound as bored as possible. After all, he couldn't lose his cool pretence in front of his rival.

"He is here…" Gai immediately grabbed Lee away from a conversation with TenTen, who protested at the interruption. Kakashi raised an eyebrow in curiosity as the smaller boy was suddenly thrust in his face.

"This is your fault!" Gai pointed at Kakashi accusingly, as the silver-haired man kept his expression blank. The mini-Gai impersonator looked bad. He had red blotchy eyes, and tears were still streaming down his face...

Kakashi sighed. What had happened now? He stared at Lee blankly, still keeping his nonchalant posterior. Just what the hell did Lee's tears have anything to do with him?!

"You LET them two get married! And now my Lee is heartbroken!" Gai answered, before Kakashi could even put forward his question. To the silver-haired Shinobi's horror, the thick-eye browed man started to bawl loudly, before embracing his student tightly. The howls coming from the terrible twosome made everyone else go silent.

'_I need alcohol_' was the copycat ninja's last thought as he headed off towards the refreshments table.

-------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, Naruto was still pursuing people for their opinions on the punch. So far Hinata had said it tasted fine, Shino had ignored him and Shikamaru had said that he was troublesome. Naruto was secretly overjoyed - seeing everyone again had been more fun than he had expected. He liked having people around him, and enjoyed attention more than he would've liked to admit...

He glanced towards the fireplace and saw the familiar silhouette of Neji... Hyuuga Neji - the well-renowned boy of fate! He was smart! He'd be able to tell whether the drink tasted funny or not!

"NEJI!!!" Naruto yelled as he bounced excitedly towards the long haired boy. Neji turned around with an irritated look adorning his features, as if speaking to Naruto was the last thing that he wanted to do... The blonde immediately stopped in his tracks as he realised that the fate-obsessed boy had been talking to none other than Uchiha Sasuke...

Naruto's stomach clenched uncomfortably... _Ok… Now wasn't the time to react. Not with so many people about… Act normal, act normal, breathe…_

The blonde took a few more uncertain steps towards Neji and the dark-haired boy. _Ignore him, ignore him, breathe…_ He knew he had to act 'normal' - otherwise people would suspect something… He swallowed nervously, before plastering a forced artificial grin upon his features...

Neji looked at the blonde Shinobi impatiently. If he had noticed Naruto's strange behaviour, he didn't reveal it.

"Does this taste funny to you?" the blonde's words rushed out of his mouth in a semi-panic, as he thrust the cup in front of Neji's face. He felt Sasuke's gaze upon him and it unnerved him. Naruto breathed deeply, and desperately tried to regain his senses. He had to ignore it. He had to ignore the rush of conflicting feelings that were rushing through him... He was here for Sakura! Not for him. _For Sakura_.

The dark haired boy had _nothing_ to do with anything anymore…

Neji made no attempt to take the cup, and glared at Naruto through narrowed eyes. "It's got alcohol in it, you idiot."

Naruto's eyed widened slightly in shock. Of course! That's why it tasted so weird... _Ugh…Alcohol. How gross..._

Blue eyes suddenly brightened.

_Hmmm... Alcohol...!_

----------------------------

"Here here!" Ino shouted, as everyone in the room gradually quietened down. Her blue eyes flashed mischievously as she grinned and gestured for Sakura to start her speech. Sasuke was standing rigidly next to the pink-haired Shinobi, looking rather un-amused.

"I would just like to thank everyone for coming today!" Sakura grinned happily, and gave Naruto a small wink. "And we hope you've all had a good time!"

Naruto grinned. "Hell yeah!" he shouted, a little dazed, cutting Sakura's speech short. The other people around him sniggered at his outburst, but Naruto didn't seem to notice nor care. The blonde ninja had decided that the punch tasted nice after all. And currently, he was a _little_ drunk… Ok he was _a lot_ drunk…

After all, when did Naruto ever do _anything_ by halves??

"We would like to announce the date for our wedding!" Sakura smiled cheerfully, and looked at Sasuke for assurance. The Uchiha heir gave her a small nod, which seemed to encourage the pink haired girl to continue. "It's going to be 2 months from today!"

Everyone, bar Lee, cheered as Sakura blushed a deep red. It was happening. The moment she had dreamed of so often… _Too often_… It was finally happening...

Lee continued to cry pathetically, but silently this time. He still loved Sakura – he always would. But he didn't want to ruin her special moment... He wanted her to be happy, even if she did find happiness with someone else...

"And lastly," Sakura continued, as everyone quietened down. "We would like to announce that the maid of honour is going to be Ino…"

"Hell yeah!" the blonde girl yelled happily, although she secretly knew that it was coming. After all, they were former rivals, and best friends. No one, not even _Sasuke_, knew the pink-haired girl better than she did! She promised herself that she'd do everything in her power to make that day special for the pink haired girl...

"And the best man is going to be… you Naruto!" Sakura beamed at the half drunken blonde boy. She didn't need to rethink her decision. When the issue had cropped up, there was only one real solution, and it _had_ to be Naruto. When she had voiced her thoughts, Sasuke stayed impassive, which in Uchiha terms meant that it was acceptable… Anyway, it wasn't as if he had objected to her decision....

'_So the maid of honour and the best man were both our former rivals…_' Sakura thought to herself. How ironic.

Naruto didn't know what to say. His mind was still fuzzy due to the influence of alcohol. The news hadn't really sunk in...

"Yeah!" he managed to yell, before he immediately passed out.

-----------------------------

'_Hmm my bed's gone cold and uncomfortable…_' Naruto thought to himself irritably. He stretched out his arms and legs, and felt something warm hit the side of his right arm. It was the face of an extremely annoyed Shikamaru.

"What… What are you doing here?" Naruto slurred his words. Man his head hurt. Why did it hurt so much!? And why the hell was Shikamaru near his bed?! Eww…

_Did something happen?!_

"I'm helping you off the floor you idiot," came the exasperated reply. "Pfft, you've gotten heavy…"

Naruto giggled. He didn't know why. Nothing was particularly funny. But he didn't seem to care. Just where exactly was he? Oh well, back to more important things…

"You have a weird face…" Naruto muttered as he tried to poke Shikamaru in the eye. He missed terribly, and ended up poking the lazy ninja's nose.

"Che, you are so annoying," Shikamaru mumbled, as he threw Naruto, albeit gently, onto the couch in the Uchiha house. The blonde frowned at the sudden action.

"I'm going home now Sakura, thanks for everything!" the lazy-Shinobi shouted. Naruto winced. Why was he so loud? Was he deaf or something? And why was the light so bright…? And why the hell did he feel so nauseous?…

Actually never mind the questions. He didn't really care.

Naruto heard the front door click shut as he saw a blonde ponytail leave with a black one. So Ino had left with Shikamaru? He wanted to wonder whether something was going on, but his head hurt too much to be thinking straight.

"Hey Naruto, are you ok?" Sakura asked him, as she appeared from the kitchen, her voice a little anxious.

'_Aww she's worried about me,_' Naruto thought, and a huge grinned appeared on his face before he even thought about hiding it. "I'm ok Sakuraaaaa-chan!" he sang, as he sat up unsteadily on the couch. Damn the floor! Why was it swaying so much?!

Were they in an earthquake?!

"Naruto, you sure you can get home ok? You can spend the night here if you want…" Sakura offered, her expression betraying her genuine concern over the blonde's well being.

"Uhmm… It's ok…. I can get back ok…" Naruto slurred. Was it this late already? Had everyone left? Is that why it was so quiet, or were the guests just really boring…? Hmm… Exactly how long had he been passed out for?

"Seriously, you can spend the night here or I could get Sasuke to drop you back home…" Sakura suggested helpfully.

The blonde winced as the Uchiha's name was mentioned. He couldn't exactly remember why at that very moment, but his instincts told him that Sasuke meant trouble. And he was just about smart enough to trust his instincts.

Naruto was just about to politely decline, when a voice interrupted him.

"I-I-I can… I can take N-N-Naruto-Kun h-h-home…" Hinata's nervous voice trailed off into a whisper as her face burned a furious red. Now that she had made such a bold offer, she was actually quite unsure of herself. Sure - she knew where the blonde lived – after all, she _had_ spent most of her life watching him… But in all those years, she never did have the confidence, or the opportunity to actually set foot into his apartment...

_And she wasn't sure if she had the confidence now..._

"Are you sure its ok Hinata?" Sakura asked, a little surprised at the smaller girl's boldness. It was obvious – clearly obvious to everyone now, maybe bar Naruto, that the dark haired girl had something for the blonde - something _much_ deeper than friendship... But due to Naruto's oblivious nature to the situation, and Hinata's severe shyness, nothing had ever kicked off between the two. Hell, nothing even remotely _close_ to _nearly_ kicking off had happened either! Sometimes Naruto could be a little _too_ dunce, and annoyingly ignorant to his personal surroundings…

That or he was just blind and stupid.

Sakura wouldn't have actually minded if the blonde stayed over, but she wasn't too sure about Sasuke's reactions... Not that the Uchiha would've actually _voice_ his opinions. Although she hadn't shown it in her behaviour towards the two, she knew something wasn't right between them. After all, she wasn't called the brightest girl in the village for nothing… But she didn't intend to act upon it either – after all, men's business was men's business... She definitely didn't want to intrude into Sasuke's affairs, knowing how much he valued his privacy. She was also certain that it'd somehow sort itself out. It always did between the two. After all, they never _could_ stay angry at each other...

And she was positive that fact didn't change.

--------------------------------------

"It's… It's only a l-l-little out of m-my way…" Hinata lied, her face on fire. '_She must know I'm lying… I'm so stupid!'_ Hinata cringed, as she lowered her head in shame. She couldn't believe that she had just lied. She hardly ever lied, and she knew she wasn't good at it, so why did she even bother?!

"Thank you Hinata-chan!" Naruto grinned from the couch, as he tried to steady himself. "As long as its fine with you…" he added, hastily. He actually wouldn't mind some company home... After all, he did have a lot of catching up to do with the dark haired girl...

Hinata felt her heart stop. Naruto had called her Hinata-CHAN! Like the way he called his precious Sakura… Did that mean something? And _oh my god_, was she was _finally_ going to get some time alone with the blonde boy?! '_breathe, breathe, breathe…_'… She managed to yelp a small "Haii…" before she fled to the toilet to attempt to compose herself.

Sakura grinned to herself. So something was finally happening? And all it took was a drunken Naruto. The pink haired girl grinned. This was _definitely_ going to be interesting…

----------------------------------------

"Hinata-channnn! When do you want to leave?" Naruto slurred his question unsteadily. He didn't like slurring his words. It made him sound funny. But he didn't really care at the moment. Hell, he didn't really care about anything at the moment, apart from getting some sleep in his nice warm bed… Unlike the cold, hard floor that Shikamaru had rudely woken him up from… He was actually feeling kinda tired; the exhaustion from the day's training had seemed to finally catch up with him...

Hinata tensed, feeling the blonde's presence behind her. "A-Anytime y-you want, N-Naruto-kun!" she flustered, wishing that she didn't feel so vulnerable and nervous around the bright boy. And hot... _So damn hot._

Naruto grinned, and Hinata felt her heart melt. "You're really cute…" he murmured a little too loudly, before collapsing on top of the shocked girl. Hinata instantly froze, as she held the blonde boy in complete astonishment. Did he just…

_Did he just call her cute?_

When the words had finally sunk in, Hinata blushed a furious shade of red. Naruto had just called her cute! Ok he was drunk, but he said it nevertheless! When she finally remembered to breathe, she also realised that she was still holding Naruto, and in a rather compromising situation nevertheless! She immediately jerked backwards in shock, and watched as the blonde dropped ungraciously into a heap upon the floor.

Hinata gasped and rushed to the fallen boy's side. She was glad that no one else was in sight, otherwise she'd never be able to live it down…! Thankfully, everyone else had gone home at about midnight - Kakashi went slightly earlier, muttering something about 'crazy eyebrow duo freaks'. Neji, looking rather un-amused, left with TenTen as Gai-sensei left with Lee, who still had streams of tears running down his cheeks. (The constant tear trails had made the rest of his face look rather unpleasantly blotchy, which had amused everyone else greatly.) Shino, Kiba and Chouji left simultaneously with another load of random people, and Ino had left with Shikamaru. Sakura was upstairs and god knows where Sasuke was…

"Ow…" Naruto muttered as he regained consciousness after hitting the floor. He gazed unsteadily into the worried eyes of the dark haired girl beside him. "Hey Hinata-chan… Can we go now?" he murmured, closing his eyes, then deciding to keep them closed. Things were starting to spin rather unpleasantly, and he felt extremely worn and tired. He just wanted to go home…

"S-S-Sure, I-I-I'll just go t-t-tell S-Sakura-chan…" Hinata stuttered, as she helped the blonde boy off the floor, and supported his weight against the staircase. She then went upstairs to inform the pink haired girl of their departure.

Maybe it was because she was extremely nervous due to her encounters with Naruto, or maybe it was because she too had a little to drink - but either way, she didn't see or feel the looming presence behind her... She didn't sense the pair of dark eyes, blankly watching her actions as she tended to the blonde... She didn't feel the tension in the air, nor the heavy uneasiness that seemed to cloak and surround them all...

She didn't notice Sasuke hiding within the shadows, watching her every move, his breathing dangerously slow. And she didn't see the dark emotions that flickered across his empty eyes - the fury, the anger, the hate...

_And the raging jealousy._

----------------------------------------------

Naruto somehow managed to stumble home with the aid of Hinata, leaning against her far more than he would've liked. He frowned - just how much _had_ he drank!? He had never gotten drunk before, although he wasn't entirely sure whether these side effects - such as falling over all the time - actually _meant_ that he _was_ drunk... All he knew was that he felt nauseous, his head hurt and he wanted to sleep...

He wanted to sleep oh so bad...

The two had walked in silence, which Naruto was silently thankful for. The blonde concentrated on using his remaining strength to try to keep himself up straight. He couldn't use Hinata as support _too_ much - although she was quite strong, he didn't want to burden her more than he already did...

After all, as Shikamaru reminded him, he wasn't the _lightest_ thing in the world…

When they reached his apartment, Naruto fumbled about for his keys before handing them to the dark-haired girl. He couldn't seem to focus properly, not even enough to perform a simple task such as opening his front door. Hinata blushed, but after a few seconds, the door opened with a small click.

The blonde's apartment was far tidier than she had expected it to be. She had always imagined it to look like something within the regions of an overused dump. It smelt strongly of ramen, and her suspicions were confirmed correct as she saw ramen packets and cups littered all over the table. '_At least it isn't all over the floor,_' she thought to herself, as she blushed once again. She couldn't believe that she was actually in his apartment! She actually _had_ the _courage_ to set foot into his apartment…

Naruto eased out of her grip and started to strip off.

'_Oh my god what is he doing?!_' Hinata thought, as her mind raced erratically.

"N-N-Naruto-kun…" the dark-haired girl stammered as her heart galloped furiously in tow with her mind. What the hell! Was he stripping off?! Oh my GOD!! But no matter how much she wanted to see the blonde in the nude, she didn't want him to do it while drunk! Her head suddenly felt really light. Stripping off was _definitely_ a bad idea…right!?

Naruto paused as his hands wandered to the waistband of his khaki pants. He was already topless. Hinata's eyes widened spontaneously as she admired the blonde boy's torso in the moonlight. He was… was… _He was perfect._ That was the _only_ word that did him justice... The silver light reflected off every curve of his well-toned muscles. He looked so strong, yet so soft… Almost angelic in a way. His skin was visibly smooth and supple, and the seal's colourings around his belly button were almost invisible. She almost made out the faint patterns circling the navel, when she realised that she had been staring. She had been staring a lot. She blushed even darker, if that was at all possible.

But luckily for her, Naruto was still heavily intoxicated.

"Oh yeah, I won't keep you here for long, I bet you're wanting to go home too right…" Naruto slurred a complete sentence together, and then felt extremely proud of himself. Hinata's mind screamed at her. Naruto was there, standing semi-naked! React react react! But Hinata couldn't bring herself to do anything. After all, she was too shy! And what the hell would she do anyway? _She didn't know anything about anything…_

Naruto wandered unsteadily towards his front door, as Hinata quickly followed suit, having a strange feeling that she was going to regret all this in the morning...

"S-S-Stay here N-N-Naruto-kun," she ordered softly, surprising herself with her boldness. "I-I don't want y-you getting a cold…"

Naruto grinned, and stumbled outside onto the street as Hinata winced. Why did no one ever listen to her?

"Don't worry Hinata-channn!" he sang. "I never get colds… Kakashi-sensei said it's because of the nine tails…" Naruto's voiced dropped off, and he frowned. Just _when_ had Kakashi said that?

Hinata tried to push the blonde back into his house, to no avail. Naruto giggled childishly before wrapping his arms around the smaller girl. He pushed her against his bare chest, encasing her in a tight embrace before she even had the time to react. Hinata was now on the verge of insanity. Just so much had happened in such a short period of time! Her face couldn't keep up with the blushing and now, her heart had threatened to stop!

Did Naruto even _know_ what he was doing to her?!

"You have really pretty hair…" Naruto murmured, stroking her dark hair from root to tip. "I like dark hair… It's nice…" he grinned. "It reminds me of someone…" blue eyes became unfocussed, as the blonde seemed to recollect a distant memory or past dream that he had encountered.

"W-W-Who does it r-remind you of, N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked softly, jarring Naruto back to the present. He was so nice, so warm... And he felt so _safe_. His chest seemed to burn against her cheek, but it was a nice burning sensation. Her stomach no longer flipped, and her heart began to beat more steadily… It all felt so nice, so _natural.._. She finally felt relaxed around the blonde boy, and decided that she enjoyed this feeling much more…

"Uh…"Naruto released Hinata and scratched the back of his head in confusion, the dreamy expression leaving his eyes. What was he talking about? Who did what remind him of? Ugh his head hurt…

Hinata unsuccessfully tried to hide her disappointment as the blonde's heat escaped her. But his warmth lingered upon her cheek. She shivered slightly.

"I need sleep…" Naruto thought out loud, and shook his head in a daze. "Thanks Hinata-chan… I owe you one… err… Have a safe journey home!" he murmured, feeling as if he was about to pass out at any moment. He didn't really want to make her walk home alone. But he seriously thought that he was going to be sick. He was sure she wouldn't want to stay in his house - after all, it was extremely messy - no place for a lady...

And he was positive she wouldn't want her reputation tarnished… I mean, who would? He _was_ the demon fox after all… The fact that she had offered to walk him home was still a mystery to him… Normally he'd be suspicious, but at the moment he felt too much like crap to bother being apprehensive, and accepted any help he was offered...

Hinata smiled warmly, oblivious to the thoughts running through the blonde's mind. "S-See you s-soon, N-Naruto-kun…" she waved as she walked off into the distance. She sighed inwardly. Just what the hell had happened there?! First Naruto was all nice and cuddly, then he mentioned someone… And then he acted weird?! The dark-haired girl shook her head in bewilderment. Men _sure_ were weird... She doubted that she'd ever be able to fully comprehend the opposite sex...

----------------------

Naruto looked at the girl's retreating figure, before stepping back into his own apartment, his remaining will intent on getting him to bed.

When he reached the entrance of his house, he saw that someone was blocking his path. Naruto wearily looked up. Who could possibly be standing outside his door at such an ungodly hour? And just when had he appeared? How could someone have gotten there without him or Hinata noticing?

That's when he recognised the familiar scent all too well…

Blue eyes met black.

That answered his question.

"Sasuke…" Naruto whispered.

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End of chapter 4

Please review, or email me at purrfectly679hotmail.com

Sasuke: (angrily barges in) I just want to get something straight! I did NOT say that I wanted to strip [censored] and [censored] Naruto! (growls furiously)  
Naruto just _happens_ to walk by again, and just _happens_ to hear Sasuke's say the "I wanted to strip censored and censored Naruto..." part of the sentence. He then hears the boy growl, and mistakes for it for a purr.  
Naruto: [screams and points] Sasuke you pervert!! Arghhhh! I don't think that's even physically possible between us... Arghhhh!

Thanks for reading x


	5. And I'd love to say I do

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto.   
**Title**: I think I better leave right now - chapter 5**  
Author**: Purrfectly679 - e-mail purrfectly679hotmail.com for comments and suggestions. Feedback highly appreciated.  
**Rating**: PG-13, angst, bad language, slight AU. SakuSasu, SasuNaru, ShikaIno  
**Notes**: No spoilers. This is a revised repost.

**Previously**: A drunk Naruto is taken home by Hinata. As Hinata leaves, a very jealous Sasuke appears.

Thanks to all reviewers!! every review is appreciated! [hands out sweets]

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Naruto groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. This took more effort than he had anticipated – did someone glue his eyelids shut during the night or something? The glaring sunlight through his window caused him to winch painfully. Ugh, his head hurt like hell… What the hell had happened? Did he train too hard and pass out in the forest again?

He rolled over and felt the familiar comfort of his duvet beneath him. Nope, he was definitely at home. He shuffled about restlessly, then realised that he still had his khaki pants on. '_That explains why I feel so hot,_' he explained to himself. And uncomfortable… Ugh… He usually slept with very little clothing, which he supposed had one thing or another to do with the demon fox residing deep inside of him. Well – maybe there was _one_ advantage to having the nine tails as a constant companion...

At least he'd never freeze to death.

Naruto rolled over again, as he attempted to free himself from his bed. Just what had happened? Why the hell was he feeling so crap? His eyes hurt, his head felt like splitting and he felt like throwing up...

'_So is this how it feel to be pregnant?_' he snickered silently. Even in dire times, Naruto never ceased to add humour to any situation.

With a heavy grunt, the blonde Shinobi somehow managed to get onto his feet, before immediately crumbling to the floor into an ungraceful heap.

"Ouch," he muttered humourlessly. His throat was sore and his voice came out raspy and uneven. He still couldn't remember anything. And why couldn't he walk straight? Did someone beat him up really badly? Or maybe this was some kind of Genjutsu? (Mind technique)

He sighed pitifully. If this was genjutsu, it was a sure damn _good_ one...

It was enough to put _anyone_ off living…

------------------------------

"So… What type of dress are you planning to have?" Ino asked. The blonde girl and Sakura were both sitting in the local sushi parlour. Both weren't particularly hungry, but they had promised to meet up the night before to discuss the 'maid of honour' duties. Well that had been the _official_ reason, but the unspoken truth was that they had just missed each other too much!

"I dunno…" Sakura answered truthfully. What _was_ she going to wear? She had thought of investing in the typical Japanese wedding attire, such as maybe a silk kimono? Something with an elegant design, but unique in it's own way… She had always imagined her day to be big and memorable, and the people to be dressed grandly. And for everyone to be watching her, admiring her… The day when all her dreams came true...

But now she wasn't so sure. Sasuke _really_ didn't seem like the type to opt for big ceremonies. Not that he'd ever voice his opinion… Sakura sighed inwardly. No matter how much she wanted things her way, it took two to tango. She couldn't ignore his preferences…

_Could she?_

"What about Sasuke?" Ino asked curiously. She had to admit, after seeing the Uchiha boy yesterday, she realised how lucky the pink-haired girl really was! He had grown _so damn sexy_! Back then, she hadn't thought it was possible for anyone to be sexier than he already was, but once again, he had surpassed himself and all expectations…! '_But you have Shikamaru…_' she silently scolded, then snickered innocently to herself. 'It's only _looking_… No crime in _looking_ is there?'

Sakura sighed again, visibly this time, jolting a flushed Ino out of her thoughts. "I dunno…" the pink-haired girl repeated.

"What was the sigh for?" the blonde enquired. Hell! She was marrying the most eligible male in the whole of Konoha! She had no reason at all to be sighing! No reason at all! She was only the most envied girl in probably the whole of the country! For god's sake - even _married_ women lusted after the raven-haired Shinobi!

Sakura remained silent, and stared blanky at the table in front of her. How could she tell the blonde that Sasuke didn't treat her the way that she wanted him to? That the man of her dreams didn't act the way that she had dreamed, didn't do as she had always desired… It wasn't as if she was disappointed in him… Hell, she had always known that it'd be difficult. He wasn't the most open person in the world after all… But after sometime together, and especially after their experiences together, she thought… She thought that he'd at least open up to her, if not to anyone else... At least share with her his feelings, his doubts, his dreams…

_At least trust her._

It wasn't too much to ask, was it?

"He doesn't…" Sakura started, wondering how the hell she was going to put her predicament in words. She immediately lowered her eyes to the table, and hid her face behind locks of pink hair. Was she ashamed? Or was it embarrassment?

_Was it possible that she was embarrassed over Sasuke?_

"Hey… You can trust me you know…" Ino began, mistaking Sakura's pause for hesitation. Didn't the girl trust her? Although, it's not that she could really blame her… They had spent most of their childhood fighting one another for the attention of the Uchiha heir… But if she could go back in time right now, she would change everything. She wouldn't have _ever_ let a boy come between them… Wasn't that one of the most sacred rules of friendship? Boys come and go, but friendships lasted forever…

How on earth did they manage to break such an imperative regulation?

"I know I can trust you…" Sakura murmured softly. Deep inside, she knew she could. Although they had been rivals in the past for the same boy, the essential word in that sentence was _had_. The green-eyed girl knew that her friend would never do anything to come between her relationship with Sasuke. They had both grown up a lot since then, both in physical appearance and mentality.

They had both matured.

"It's just… Well, you know how he's always been kinda quiet…" Sakura continued quietly, as Ino nodded for confirmation, and gestured for the pink-haired girl to continue.

"Well he never voices his opinions on anything… Like the party, nor the date, nor the dresses… Its almost like he doesn't…." _care_. Sakura trailed off. She couldn't bring herself to say it. He did care, didn't he? Although he had never said the words to her outright… Nor had he ever visibly expressed his feelings towards her… But he must care, right? Otherwise why would he agree to the idea of the marriage? If he didn't care, why would he bother buying a ring for her? He wasn't the type to play games, mess around... Everything he did was serious. So he _had_ to be serious about her…

Right?

The food came. Sakura suddenly felt very relieved.

At least now she had a distraction away from the confusing and conflicting emotions rushing through her mind.

----------------------------------

"Shower…" Naruto mumbled incoherently. Not that it mattered. It wasn't as if anyone was around to hear him. His hair was kinda itchy and he felt really, _really_ grotty. A shower should wake him up, and hopefully make him remember what the hell had happened the night before.

Naruto gazed wearily at himself in the mirror. Oh well, at least he felt worse than he looked. He ran his fingers through his hair, untangling the masses of knots and kinks from within his blonde locks. A familiar smell invaded his senses, and his eyes widened momentarily. Where was that smell from? It was so _familiar_… So intoxicating… Yet it filled him with a sense of dread. He racked his brains, trying to figure out the source of the scent, but to no avail...

He sighed and stripped off his pants.

That's when he noticed the crumpled up sheet of paper in the left pocket. He gazed at it curiously, before taking it out and unravelling it.

_'Don't let her down. You'll hurt her more than you think you could.' _

'Huh? What was this about?' Naruto's head spun rapidly.

Kakashi's writing… training… Kakashi… Hurt… Sakura?…

Engagement party!

Suddenly, the blonde wasn't so keen on remembering after all…

----------------------

"Thanks…" Sakura smiled at the waiter, before looking at Ino. "I'm starving!" she lied, acting enthusiastic.

Ino frowned at her. The pink-haired girl wasn't fooling anyone.

"What about Sasuke?" she continued, ignoring Sakura's futile diversion towards food. Why was she trying to act like Naruto of all people?!

The pink haired girl sighed heavily. There really was no point in lying anymore... Not to Ino – her maid of honour, her best friend. She slowly put down her chopsticks...

"I don't think he trusts me…" she whispered honestly, too weary to be angry as her voicebroke. Funny how things changed huh. In the past, she had never – and would never - let Ino know how she was truly feeling, how she had often felt weak and inferior to her presence… To feel strong, she pretended to be strong, keeping her true feelings to herself… After all, it was ok… As long as no one knew how she really was, how she really felt - it was ok...

But now, they were equal. They were friends. They had grown up, matured… It was ok to tell her right? She needed someone to confide in… And the blonde girl seemed like the perfect person… After all, a burden shared was a burden halved... Right?

Maybe some things were better off shared.

It had to be… Right?

---------------------------------

"What do you mean?" Ino asked softly. She could see that the conversation was hurting the pink-haired Leaf-nin. Trust? What did she mean by he didn't _trust_ her? Sasuke had always had a problem with reliance, but surely he could trust his own girlfriend? His own fiancée??

"He doesn't open up to me… He doesn't confide in me… I don't know… I… Is it normal?" Sakura whispered, her voice slightly wavering under the emotional strain. She sounded so stupid! Oh god, why did she sound so weak? Was it even a good idea to bring this up in the first place?

And the raven-haired boy _definitely_ won't appreciate being the topic of their conversation…

"Com'on, its _Sasuke_!" Ino snorted, trying to liven up the obviously upset girl. "He never opens up to anyone! He probably just needs more time…" the blonde assured her friend. Although it was slightly strange that after… What? 3 years? And he was still being untrusting? Ino sighed inwardly. Sure he was weird, but was it possible for anyone to be _this_ weird? _'That stupid boy, if he hurts her, I'll… I'll… I'll kick his sorry behind!' _

The pink-haired girl gazed hopefully at her friend. She needed anything, _any_ reassurance that Sasuke wasn't being strange with her, that he cared… And that he loved her? She wasn't going to be too optimistic, but maybe, after some time… He'd grow to love her… She didn't expect too much - she won't expect him to love her as much as she loved him… But maybe, _just maybe_, after some more time…

_After a little more time..._

"He's always been like that… It's like… His unique trait! Com'on now, don't you remember all the millions of times he used to ignore us? And now he's _marrying_ you! He would never agree to anything without thinking it through carefully, let alone one that affects him for the rest of his life…! He's not Naruto for god's sake…" Ino snorted, as the hyperactive blonde's image flashed into her mind. Didn't he get _really_ wasted last night? What had happened to him anyway?

Sakura immediately brightened up. That had to be it! There's no way Sasuke would marry her if he hadn't thought it through properly! He was too sensible… Thanks to Ino, she had been able to put her worries all into perspective. She was just reading too much into things again… There was absolutely nothing wrong with their relationship… Sasuke just need a little more time, that's all… Yeah, just a little more time…

"Just a little more time…" she repeated out loud, as if trying to convince herself...

But if that was true, then why was her heart feeling so uneasy?

---------------------------------

Naruto sank back to the cold bathroom floor as erractic memories rushed back at him. '_Ok… So Sasuke and Sakura both came back, and are engaged… To each other…_' His stomach flipped uncomfortably. '_Ok… There was an engagement party, and Kakashi had persuaded me to turn up…'_ he rubbed his head furiously, wondering whether he had done the right thing in going... He shouldn't run away from them… Right?

'_Ok lets not go into that little internal battle of whether staying away is better for Sakura again…_' he grimaced wearily to himself. After all, what's done is done. It wasn't the time to turn back.

'_Ok back to the party… There was…_' Naruto gulped nervously. '_Sasuke… and Hinata… and Neji… Oh…. Punch! Weird taste… Alcohol… Ahh so that's why I feel like this!_' he thought to himself, slightly amused. At least it wasn't Genjutsu! But ugh…

'_Reminder to never drink alcohol…_' the blonde promptly stored the warning in his non-existent memory bank.

'_Erm… Anyways... Back to last night... Shikamaru woke me up… Hinata took me home… Uhm... I was outside my door…Then..._' From then on Naruto's mind went completely blank. Why did she bother taking him home anyway? Did she pity him or something? He suddenly felt anger stir within him. He hated pity more than anything... It made him feel insecure, inferior…

_Sasuke._ Naruto's eyes flew open. Sasuke was here! … He remembered seeing him at the door… And then… And then… Wait… What _had_ happened? How did he manage to get from the front door and into his bed? A soft frown graced the blonde's features...

Sasuke hadn't been here after all. Why the hell would he have come anyway? Naruto snickered at his own idiocy. '_The boy hates you! Why would he bother going to your house of all places?'_

'_Naruto, you are too dumb sometimes…_' he grinned to himself, as he clambered into the shower, and turned on the hot water. That familiar scent was starting to bug him, and he _still_ didn't know where it came from. He needed to get it off him. And it needed to get it off fast.

For some strange reason, he had a feeling that he'd regret it if he ever remembered what it was…

Then that's when it hit him. _Best man._ He was going to be the best man at the wedding. Naruto held back an urge to throw up. He _couldn't_ be the best man! No way! Sasuke… He'd… He'd… Oh _shit_… Panic gripped the blonde boy as his mind raced furiously. What could he do? What? How…

_How the hell was he going to get out of this one?_

Naruto moaned as he crawled out of the shower, cradling his head in his arms. Why did things like this always happen to him? After the promises to stay uninvolved, and all those countless oaths…. And now look what's happened! He couldn't…. It's too much… He… _Sasuke_…

"I need to talk to her…" Naruto muttered out loud to himself, as he threw on random items of clothing from his bedroom floor. He was slightly wet and the white t-shirt clung his torso awkwardly. He needed to see her now, before this could get out of hand. He had to tell her… No wait! _What the fuck was he thinking?_ There was _no_ way he'd tell her, he'd break her heart…. No way… He had… He… He just had to let her know that he couldn't be the best man… Yeh that was right! He'd… He'd make up an excuse… He'd apologise…

Then… Kakashi could be best man! That's right! They didn't need him! And he was sure Sakura's parents would disapprove if the demon boy was a vital guest at the occasion anyway… It would be so much easier and less stressful if the copycat ninja was the best man! Uh huh. The teacher would be the best choice. Obviously. It amused Naruto that the pink haired girl didn't think of that in the first place…!

The blonde leaf-nin smiled, extremely pleased with himself with his great plan. He was tired, his head still hurt and although he hadn't thought of a good excuse to give Sakura yet, he was still out of the door before you could say "ramen." All he knew was that he needed to see the pink haired girl...

And he needed to see her fast...

-------------------------------------

"Anyway…" Ino's voice dropped down a tone and became more serious. "What exactly did happen between you two?" The blonde took a piece of sushi and started to nibble one end of it. "I mean, I know he ran off… Then you went after him… But did you ever figure out why? Why did he leave?" The question was an innocent one. She was curious. Why exactly _did_ he leave? She knew that he was an avenger… Does that mean he left to kill his brother, like he had promised numerous of times in the past? Did he manage to do it? … But he was only 16 at the time… Could he really end someone's life? Let alone his own flesh and blood…

The whole affair had actually been really shocking... The raven-haired boy had seemed fine at the time… He seemed so normal… Well – as normal as an anti-social youth could get... No one had suspected anything… Then one day he had just disappeared. Stopped turning up for missions. Just like that. He was gone…

So, what exactly did _he_ _do_? What exactly did _they_ do?

"I…" Sakura turned deathly pale at Ino's question. _Blood. There was so much blood… Sasuke…_

"I…" green eyes became dull, as if desperately trying to suppress some kind of painful emotion or memory… She couldn't think about that...! Not here… Not now! Why was Ino bringing it up? She suddenly felt really sick.

Ino must've noticed the pink-haired girl's pained expression, as she immediately changed the topic of conversation. It was obvious that this wasn't the time to talk about what had happened between them. Although curiosity gripped unrelentingly at the blonde girl, she overcame her inquisitiveness as concern became the dominant emotion. Pushing down a wave of guilt at causing her friend so much discomfort, she grabbed a salmon sushi.

"Try this!" she grinned, hiding the worry that was threatening to spill over her features. "This one's nice…"

-----------------------------------

Naruto ran all the way to Sasuke's house, without pausing or even stopping for a rest. He didn't even waver outside the ramen shop, even though the scent of his favourite food had tried to entice him to stay...

Fuzzy thoughts rushed through his head as he ran, mainly of Sakura, but random images of Hinata also flashed up in his mind. He was still a bit irked at her, but that feeling died down rapidly. '_Maybe she wasn't doing it out of pity, maybe she was doing it out if friendship… After all, that's what you'd do in her position right?_' his conscience tried to reason with him. He ignored it. He didn't need another distraction, another confusion to think about...

All he knew was that he needed to see Sakura, and he needed to see her fast.

He panted as he reached the front door to the Uchiha house. It didn't look so bad during the day. It looked less threatening, less looming to the eyes... He knocked loudly on the door, as he struggled to gain his breath. '_Com'on Sakura, what's taking you so long?_' he muttered quietly, as his breathing began to gradually slow down.

No one came to the door.

"Sakuraaaaa!" he shouted, and knocked once again on the entrance. His patience was starting to wear thin - not that he had much in the first place... Maybe she was still asleep? No, she couldn't be! It was past noon! She _always_ got up before noon…

Naruto was about to knock again, when the door suddenly opened, throwing the blonde ninja off balance, and tumbling into the darkly lit house.

This was definitely _not_ his day...

------------------------------

"So what about you? Have you gotten with anyone?" Sakura asked teasingly. The previous show of raw emotion and fear had all but seemed to disappear from the aura of the green-eyed girl. She seemed almost back to normal now, which had deeply relieved the blonde haired girl…

But she could still feel a presence of darkness looming, like an air of uncertainty surrounding her best friend…

'_What the hell happened between you two, Sakura?_' she asked silently.

"Me?" Ino grinned, thinking about her dark-ponytail boy. This was a good topic to sidetrack her attention! '_I bet he's still in bed right now, looking so adorably-'_

"So who is it?" the pink haired leaf-nin asked with mock impatience, jarring Ino out of her cute thoughts about the lazy Shinobi.

The blonde blushed. "It's…"

"Let me guess… Could it be a certain Shikamaru?" the pink haired girl asked, eyes glinting.

Ino nodded shyly, which was a first!

Sakura grinned. "Hehe I knew it… You were practically all over him last night!"

The blonde blushed furiously. It was probably true – she couldn't get enough of the shadow boy – but she hadn't thought that everyone else would've realised that easily… She thought that she had hidden it relatively well!

Very few people knew about their close relationship… Shikamaru said it would be troublesome if people found out, as they'd be bound to talk and gossip about them… But Ino hadn't really minded. And she couldn't help but feel extremely giddy that this secret was only between them. It made it seem so much more special, secretive and so much more exciting! After all, as long as they were happy...

_That's all that mattered, right?_

"He's…special…." Ino admitted, her eyes becoming strangely gooey. Maybe it was infatuation? Maybe it was love? She didn't care… All she knew was that she adored anything and everything about her boyfriend. She even loved his negative points, his laziness, the way he frowned while playing go… The way he hogged all the pillows... She sighed longingly.

"How long have you two been together?" Sakura asked, happy that her friend was obviously ecstatically in love, and finally showing some sort of weakness. Shikamaru huh! Who would've guessed! The lazy Shinobi and the rapturous blonde…

Maybe teammates were eligible boyfriends after all!!

-------------------------------

_Sasuke. _

Naruto could feel the Uchiha's presence in front of him - could smell his unique scent surrounding him, _choking_ him… _So many memories…_ He didn't know how, but his body somehow managed to jump away at the last split second, before any contact was made between the two former rivals.

Then they just stood there staring at each other.

Naruto felt weak. He had almost crashed into him. That would've been… bad... Right? _To feel him again…_ He shook the thoughts out of his head. He felt strange, as his stomach shifted uncomfortably… He wanted to ask for Sakura, but his voice refused to follow his commands… Why couldn't he even control himself? What was happening to him…?

What was the Uchiha doing here anyway? Wasn't he meant to be training? He always used to train in the early hours of the mornings... He wasn't meant to be at home, just standing there… _Like he was now_…

Silence descended upon the two. But neither made an attempt to talk nor move...

_Nor even breathe._

"Is… Sakura home?" Naruto finally blurted out, as the silence became too uncomfortable to bear. The blonde immediately looked away, as he felt the raven-haired boy look at him - the intense gaze boring deep into him... But why was his ex-rival staring at him like that? Didn't he know that his stare made people feel uncomfortable?

And why did he look away? He felt so weak, so _vulnerable_…

Naruto waited patiently for an answer, while his insides squirmed with apprehension. The tension in the air was so thick; you could cut it with a knife... Why was the dark-haired boy still standing there? Wasn't he going to move? The blonde willed him to move, to say something - to say _anything_…

Time seemed to stop between the two. Naruto could sense nothing, feel nothing, hear nothing but the beating of his own heart… '_Move dammit!_' he cursed himself. But his legs would not yield - would not even flinch… Why was this happening to him? Was this another effect of alcohol influence?

_Or was it simply the intoxicating boy in front of him?_

A cold breeze entered the house through the front door, jerking Naruto out of his Sasuke-induced trance. Once he managed to gain movement of his limbs again, the blonde walked out of the front door in defeat. No apology was offered for bursting in. There was no point trying to get through to the heir to the Uchiha clan. Its not like he cared…

_It's wasn't like he cared about anything…_

--------------------------------

"Anyways, want to come over? I think Sasuke has gone out to train anyway…" Sakura asked, as the two girls exited the sushi place.

Ino considered the option. "Might as well, got nothing else to do!" she smiled. It was only noon. Shikamaru wouldn't be awake just yet… And since Sasuke lived so close to the shadow boy, that meant she could pop over there easier… She licked her lips deliciously, as thoughts of the black ponytail boy flashed through her mind…

_The day was looking up!_

-------------------------------

"Don't do it," the voice was hesitant. Naruto's ears instantly pricked up. Sasuke's voice had sounded so soft, so uncertain… So _desperate_?? The blonde almost laughed out loud. The cool Sasuke had just hesitated! The ice-king had shown emotion! What was the world coming to?

_Or was he just hearing things wrong?_

Naruto swallowed his laughter. Sasuke wouldn't have appreciated it anyway... But at least he had realised one thing about the Uchiha since his return… Something he joked about in the past as being impossible…

_The raven-haired boy had gotten a hell of a lot colder..._

It was a shame really - a shame that all this had to happened...

A shame how even the toughest of friendships could be ruined by one simple mistake.

---------------------------------

"So… What's he like in bed?" Ino asked mischievously, as they began the short walk back to the Uchiha house. The great Sasuke-kun! In bed! Isn't that what they, and half of the female population in Konoha, had been dreaming about for many, many years? And now she was finally going to get some insight on the unknown! Pushing back all thoughts of her beloved Shikamaru, her ears perked up in interest as her full attention was devoted to the pink-haired girl walking alongside her.

"We… We haven't…" Sakura blushed a bright pink. They hadn't actually _done_ _it_ yet…

"What?" Ino gasped, oblivious to the fact that her reaction was making the pink-haired girl feel even more uneasy. "I thought that he'd be more than willing to jump into bed at the first opportunity…"

Sakura frowned at her blonde friend.

"I don't mean it that way!" Ino added hastily, realising that all her words had just come out terribly wrong. "What I meant was that he's always seemed kind of … Confident… So I just assumed… But I guess you'll be his first?"

"Uh huh…" Sakura blushed at the fact that she was going to be his first, be his _special_ first... She was almost positive that he hadn't slept with anyone else. She didn't stalk him all those years for nothing…! The only time that he might have gotten with someone was during the two years they were apart… But she doubted anything had happened, especially after the state that she had found him in…

"He wants to wait until after marriage…" Sakura explained, the pink blush still evident upon her cheeks. '_At least that's what I think…_' she added silently. There had been a few kisses – he had been a very good kisser, but whenever she had tried to take things further, the raven –haired boy had always backed off. Was he shy? In the end she had just assumed that he had wanted to wait… Which was kinda romantic in a sense… Even though she _did_ want to screw the boy senseless…

On more than one occasion…!

"So is he big down there?" Ino's blue eyes flashed with playfulness.

"Ino!" Sakura exclaimed, her cheeks becoming red again.

"So you haven't -"

"NO!" Sakura interrupted.

"And he hasn't -"

"NO!"

"Oh…" Ino grinned. Sakura sure flustered easily.

------------------------------------------

"Don't do it…" Sasuke's voice came out cool and clear, as if confidence had somehow injected itself into the dark-haired boy. Naruto could almost feel the intensity radiating outwards from every pore in the Uchiha's body. Whatever he had been doing during the 5 years he was absent, he sure as hell hadn't been idly sitting around and getting weak...

Naruto paused. "Don't do what?" he asked dumbly, before he even had the chance to think it through properly. That had always been one of the blonde's negative traits - he _never_ thought before he spoke. His mouth seemed to be a detachment from his being, a function of his body that even he couldn't control, no matter how hard he tried…

Sasuke sighed, bring up angry emotions within the depths of the kitsune. He was doing it again! Acting like he was superior, treating him as if he was stupid…

"Don't turn down the best man position…" the Uchiha continued, his voice painfully frosty and steady. His voice emitted cold authority, enough to make even the greatest captains flinch. This was one hell of a powerful man, and what was even more terrifying was that he knew it.

"And why the hell not?" Naruto asked angrily, then immediately wished that he had silenced his sudden outburst of emotion. He couldn't let the Uchiha heir see that he was making him feel uneasy… He couldn't let the dark-haired boy know how much he affected him… How he affected his emotions...

Sasuke stayed silent, his glare still defiantly focused upon the blonde boy. Naruto glared back, with as much spite as he could muster. How dare he! How dare he just turn up after all these years… After the blonde had spent all that time convincing himself it was all over… All those oaths, dreams… broken promises…

And now for the raven-haired boy to come back engaged? And he wants to control him? Order him about? Tell him what to do? As if he was insignificant, inferior… Unimportant...

_Non-existent._

"Just don't." the reply was cold and callous, betraying no emotion from within the dark-haired boy. Then again, maybe there _was_ _no_ emotion... After all, you couldn't reveal something that wasn't there in the first place... Maybe he simply felt _nothing_, felt _nothing_ at all...

Naruto grew angry - he wanted him to feel bad, feel guilty… confused… He wanted the Uchiha to experience the strange emotions that he had to experience, had to suffer…

The blonde could imagine it now, Sasuke, laughing… Sasuke looking down on him, calling him weak, taunting him, thinking that he needed him… _Knowing_ that he needed him… The humiliation, the fear…

"Oh yeah? How you gonna make me?" Naruto whispered dangerously, forcing himself to act rather than dwell on his depressing thoughts. His fingers were starting to itch with resentment.

_Resentment because of Sasuke._

----------------------------------------

"Sasuke-kun? You home?" Sakura's voice brought both boys back to reality. Both girls entered through the front door, which was still left open.

"Hi Sasuke-kun… Naruto-kun…" Ino greeted politely.

"Naruto!!" Sakura said happily, before throwing herself upon the dazed kitsune. "I'm so glad you're ok! I guess Hinata took you home safely… Hehe, I'm relieved you're not that hung over!!" her green eyes sparkled with happiness as she chattered on aimlessly. What was wrong with her? Why was she getting so emotional from the presence of Naruto? For one reason or another, the blonde boy made her so happy, made her feel so alive…

Ino frowned inwardly. Although Naruto and Sakura weren't in a position to see it, she had definitely witnessed it – the flash of raw emotion across the raven-haired boy's face. She gazed at him curiously, trying to hide the fact that her attention was devoted to him.

_There it was again!_ There was no mistaking it.

The Uchiha boy was jealous.

Extremely jealous.

_'My my, and to think Sakura was afraid that you might not like her…'_ Ino thought mischievously. But unlike Kakashi, the blonde-haired girl wasn't about to let this fact go unnoticed.

After all, it would make Sakura feel better, more confident about herself... And anything was worth her friend's happiness!

"A little envious are we?" Ino asked, as she grinned manically at the stoic boy in front of her. She was ecstatic. She had finally found the Uchiha's weakness! So he wasn't Mr perfectly cool after all!

Sasuke flinched, but remained silent. His stare fixated steadily upon the blonde girl in front of him. His face became devoid of emotion once again, his initial jealously gone within a flash. It was so quick… Did Ino imagine it? No… Couldn't be! She saw it twice!

"I saw that look! Don't worry, it was only a hug!" Ino added, unfazed by the raven-haired boy's glare, although she as starting to feel slight uncertainty gnaw at her. He looked so cool, so confident… Maybe she _was_ hallucinating after all?

"Huh?" Sakura asked, as she released Naruto from her grip. What was Ino on about?

"Sakura, your fiancé is more possessive than you think! You should stop hugging other men in front of him!" she added cheekily. Oh well! So what if she was wrong? At least Sakura would benefit from her mistake! As long as she didn't find out of course…

Sakura blushed. Was it true? Was Sasuke jealous… jealous of Naruto? It sounded incredulous. Unbelievable! Maybe that's why they were acting strange with each other? What the hell! She had never expected this!

The pink-haired girl smiled happily and grasped the dark-haired boy in a fierce hug. Maybe he liked her after all! All that worrying was for nothing... Ino was right! She had been reading too deep into things again!

Ino smiled at the couple as Naruto slowly snapped out of his daze. But even then she couldn't mistaken the blank expression upon the raven-haired boy's face... So unfeeling… So _cold_… It was as if the pink-haired girl within his arms meant _nothing_ to him…

'_Just what is wrong with you_?' the blonde girl thought, as her features knitted in worry.

She then realised, painfully, that maybe Sakura had the right to be worried...

Maybe she had _every_ right to be worried.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

End of chapter 5

Please review, or email me at purrfectly679hotmail.com

Kakashi: Yo, I've come to help you persuade people to review!  
Sasuke just _happens_ to walk by with Naruto, grabbing the blonde boy and shaking him violently.  
Sasuke: (gritted teeth) Listen - you - dobe! I do not fancy you! I never wanted to [censored] you! It was all a misunderstanding!  
Naruto: (desperately tries to get out of Sasuke's grip) Lemme go you pervertttt... Gyaaaa!  
Kakashi: (sing song voice) Narutoooo! You dropped some money!  
Sasuke lets go of Naruto who bends down to search for his missing yen. Uh huh. He bends down, bum sticking up, which just _happens _to cover Sasuke's crotch.  
Kakashi: (grinning) Ok boys, just hold it there!  
Kakashi grabs a camera from... his...pocket and takes a picture of the offending scene, leaving one boy confused, and another blushing furiously.

Thanks for reading x


	6. Give everything to you

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto.   
**Title**: I think I better leave right now - chapter 6**  
Author**: Purrfectly679 - e-mail purrfectly679hotmail.com for comments and suggestions. Feedback highly appreciated.  
**Rating**: PG-13, angst, bad language, slight AU. SakuSasu, SasuNaru, ShikaIno  
**Notes**: No spoilers. This is a revised repost. The nickname Maru is borrowed from a reviewer. Thanks _Naruke_!!

And I've had people wonder why I have constant spelling mistakes for certain words!! The thing is, I'm from England, and for some strange bizarre and unknown reason, us Brits and the Americans like to spell things differently... i.e. realise and realize... colour and color... mum and mom... Lol. Does anyone know 'why' exactly?!

**Previously**: Ino realises that Sasuke doesn't care for his fiancée...

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto walked home in a semi-daze, as his mind span in rapid circles. What the hell had happened there? First Sasuke actually _spoke_, then Sakura returned with Ino... And now _somehow_ he had been persuaded to come back tomorrow for a 'best-man' duty meeting…? He growled in frustration...

Damn his weakness for the pink-haired girl.

After Sakura had finally released her grip on the two boys, she began her incessant chattering, mainly about Naruto and his hangover. Then she had nudged him a few times when the topic of Hinata came up… Why exactly? God knows… The blonde had tried to explain to the pink haired Shinobi that he couldn't possible accept the best man position, but somehow his words never seemed to reach the inhabitants of the house... Sasuke remained expressionless, Sakura has gushed and Ino had smirked until the blonde felt his headache return full blast. He needed to get out, and he needed to get out fast...

He sighed wearily. God, he never recalled the pink-haired girl speaking so damn much! It used to be his job in the past to ramble on and on, but the two had seemed to swap roles this morning... He snorted weakly. Not that he could blame her really... After surviving 3 years with the anti social Sasuke, she probably had a _lot_ of talking to catch up with!

But the blonde couldn't ignore the simple fact that he had failed miserably once again. How comes nothing _ ever_ went his way? He couldn't even get one simple thing accomplished...! How hard could it be to turn down the best man position?! Maybe he should go back now and tell her now... Get it all over and done with… You never know, maybe she's stopped talking now… His head throbbed reluctantly, causing the kitsune to wince in pain...

Ok, maybe it's not worth risking _just_ yet…

He sighed wearily. Oh well, he'd just have to tell her tomorrow. It'll be better that way anyway. After some sleep, some food, some rest… And a shower. Ugh, he needed a shower... Then at least he'd be able to think straight. And if she didn't listen, then he'd have to force her to listen...

Well, at least the morning wasn't a _ total_ waste - he had finally worked out where _that_ familiar smell came from… It was the smell of Uchiha Sasuke.

The blonde rubbed his head wearily. He knew he should be trying to determine just _how_ he had managed to smell so much like the raven-haired boy, but his mind had just _conveniently_ chosen that exact moment to shut down... That and he just didn't care anymore... After all, why try to work out things that you didn't want to know?

_ Why answer questions that you'd probably regret knowing…?_

The blonde shivered, as the unique scent once again invaded his senses. So intoxicating… Yet so deadly… _Sasuke… his dark eyes… his lips, parted… _

Naruto's stomach growled loudly, providing him a much-needed distraction from his unwanted thoughts. Why was he thinking of Sasuke that way? He sighed in confusion, as his stomach rumbled again, reminding him that he had missed breakfast, and that if he didn't hurry home soon, he'd miss lunch as well…

But first things first.

Most importantly, he needed to get that damned smell off him.

----------------------------

"Morning Maru darling…" Ino smiled warmly at her favourite Shinobi, who was still currently resting in bed. It was nearly 2pm, but the lazy ninja had decided to have another sleep in day...

_ Again._

"Hmm?" Shikamaru groaned, his eyes bleary. He focussed on the body of his lover, before instinctively reaching out an arm to pull the shrieking blonde into bed.

"Your nice and warm…" Ino whispered, as she planted a kiss on the lips of her dark pony tailed boy. Not that his hair was currently in a ponytail. In fact, it was rather static and messy... The blonde secretly held back a grin. Only she saw her Maru in this state… Making him appear so vulnerable, so cute, so innocent…

She grinned devilishly. But looks can deceive. He wasn't innocent. He wasn't innocent _ at all_. And she should know…

"Hi darling, had a nice lunch with Sakura?" Shikamaru mumbled, sleepiness still evident in his voice, as his arms wrapped themselves tighter around the girl.

"Uh huh, but I missed you…" Ino snuggled under his duvet covers, and shivered as she pressed herself against his bare chest. He had such a nice chest… She sighed lovingly, then had a sudden urge to tie him up and do all kinds of _ wonderful_ things to his body… '_That would wake him up for sure…'_ she thought evilly.

"Missed me huh?" the dark-haired man drawled enticingly. "Why don't you show me _ just_ how much you missed me…"

Ino giggled, as thoughts of Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke deserted her mind. Her 'Maru was currently placing tender kisses all down her neck and collarbone, then lower… and lower… _and lower… _

He may not have seemed it, but he was very gentle when he needed to be. And he was one hell of a lover.

Spasms of electricity jolted through her body, as a soft moan emitted from the bottom of her throat.

Shikamaru could make any day go from bad to good.

---------------------------------------------

Naruto rubbed his eyes irritably as he woke from his afternoon nap. He hadn't had one of these in years, and he was surprised at the wonders it did for the body. His head no longer hurt, and he didn't feel nauseous any more either. He yawned and stretched out his limbs.

He had already showered and eaten before his nap, so he was feeling quiet contented at that very moment in time…

That is until thoughts of the wedding drifted into his conscious again. '_Ugh… I cant believe this is happening to me…'_ he muttered dryly, before sticking his tongue out at no one in particular. That had always been a habit of his, and it hadn't left him since he was 12 years old. He snorted to himself. Just how many times had Sasuke been on the receiving end of that gesture in the past?

'_OK, let's not think about the devil reincarnate…'_ he mumbled to himself. Thoughts of the dark-haired boy brought up unwanted emotions within the blonde, and right now he was feeling too damn comfortable to make himself suffer with unnecessary thoughts.

He scrambled to his feet, and idly wondered what the hell he was going to do for the rest of the day. He knew he had promised himself to go shopping the day before, but he didn't really like the thought of trailing the village's shops and markets… Ugh, he hated shopping. He never did understand why girls loved it so much… '_I'll go another day…_' he thought lazily, not really intending to keep his promise.

'_Hmm… What about food shopping?'_ Naruto glanced into his small kitchen. Nope, he was doing fine in the food related department. He had enough ramen to last another 2 weeks at least! That was another advantage to that delicious but unhealthy bundle of carbohydrates – you could keep it forever and it still tasted damn good!

'_Oh well, training it is then!_' the blonde chirped, as he hopped out of apartment. After all, he enjoyed training and getting stronger, knowing that all his efforts were bringing him closer and closer to his dream of one day surpassing the infamous Hokages… It was also a good way of releasing his abundant energy, especially when pent up could make him feel rather uncomfortable…

And of course, the added advantage of punching things was that it took his mind off a _ certain_ young man…

_A certain Uchiha heir._

--------------------------

"Maru darling…" Ino whispered softly, curled up comfortably beside the shadow boy. She was feeling extremely contented at the moment, which was given away by a small lingering smile upon her lips, which she made no effort to remove...

"Hmm…" came the evasive reply. Ino rolled her eyes. Although he had sounded uninterested, she knew that he was listening. She could read every one of his actions perfectly, which thrilled the young blonde. To be close to him, to know how he felt, to know how he _thought_… It was a pleasure that she couldn't even _ begin_ to describe…

"Sasuke's acting weird…" she murmured. Her arms tightened around the dark-haired boy as she felt him visibly flinch. The shadow boy knew how much she had used to worship the Uchiha heir… She felt a small smile tug at her lips, overjoyed at his seemingly jealous reaction…

"He's always weird…" came the forced reply, obviously still uncomfortable with the topic of the raven-haired boy being brought up. Ino immediately pulled the shadow boy into another fierce lip lock. She loved this boy! Everything he did was so right, so perfect… He was everything she dreamed of and more…

'_What would I do without you?'_ she wondered silently, as she broke apart from the panting boy.

"He… When Sakura hugged Naruto today, I could've sworn he had looked jealous…" Ino hesitated, remembering that dark look of fury that had flashed across the pale boy's features. He had looked so dangerous, so… _frightening_… She gazed guilty at her hands… Should she even be gossiping? But… She really needed to get this off her mind… Anyway, its not like she could ever resist telling Shikamaru anything and everything about _ everything_…

"But when she had hugged him, he didn't even seem to acknowledge her…" Ino continued, her voice betraying a twinge of worry. _He looked so blank… So cold…_The blonde shivered inwardly.

"Che… Gossiping is so troublesome…" Shikamaru drawled, as his hands wondered all over his lover's body. Sure Shikamaru was lazy. But when it came to other things, he was more than happy to please…

"Hmmm…" Ino groaned, trying to suppress the racing feelings coursing through her veins. "Maru…" Ino sighed, her worry now evident upon her face. "It's Sakura… I'm worried about her you know?"

Shikamaru yawned and sat up in his bed, then pulled the blonde girl protectively into his lap. His face gained a thoughtful expression.

"He was acting weird yesterday as well…" the shadow Shinobi murmured. He was all ears as soon as the name Sakura popped up into their conversation. He knew how much the blonde cared about the pink-haired girl... And if she was important to the blonde, then she was important to him as well...

"Yesterday?" Ino asked, puzzled. "I don't recall anything…" she searched her memory for signs of Sasuke's erratic behaviour. When Naruto had first arrived, she could've sworn that the Uchiha heir was purposely avoiding him… But apart from that, no other worthy incidents crossed her mind...

"Yeh…" Shikamaru continued reluctantly. He hated gossiping. It was so troublesome. But one look into his lover's concerned face convinced him to carry on. God he needed to get a hold of himself! And combat his weakness to _that_ look from her… He was a man for God's sake!

"Remember when you forced me to wake Naruto up from the floor?" Ino nodded for confirmation, encouraging the troubled boy to continue. "He was watching me, as he hid in the shadows…"

Ino was confused. "Watching you and Naruto? Why would he?"

"It was definitely him…" Shikamaru murmured, grimly, as he remembered the tension in the air. He could still feel the dark eyes burning into him… Never leaving him… He had felt so trapped; uncomfortable… The dark haired boy suddenly wondered whether his opponents felt like that when he trapped them in his shadow jutsu…

"Are you sure?" Ino asked weakly, although she knew he was probably right. After all, her lover didn't control the shadows for nothing – hence his advanced ability to sense people, especially in the dark. But why the hell was Sasuke looking at Naruto? Did he really hate the blonde that much? She knew they had been adversaries in the past, but they hadn't seemed _ all_ that bitter towards each other... In fact, the rivalry was probably the closet thing to a decent friendship that the Uchiha boy could ever muster. It had seemed _almost_ friendly…

What the hell had happened between them to break that up?

"Yes I'm positive…" Shikamaru murmured, feeling uneasy at the apprehensive reactions of his blonde lover. She seemed so tense… So… _afraid… _He frowned. Why the hell had Sasuke looked so damn livid anyway? And why was he hiding? _What_ was he hiding? He had never made it his duty to conceal his hate and rivalry from the boy in the past…

Unless….

The shadow boy's face grew more concerned.

He realised with sudden dismay that the anger and hate wasn't directed to the blonde… Wasn't directed at the blonde at all…

It was directed at him…

And taking in account of the incident today between Sakura and the two boys…

Yes - Sasuke was jealous. The usually stoic boy was _extremely_ jealous.

And possessive.

_Possessive of a certain blonde haired boy…_

-------------------------------------

Naruto raced cheerfully to his training grounds. He didn't know why he was smiling and feeling so happy, but after suffering from his earlier hangover, he was suddenly feeling very glad to be alive. And to be alive without the need to throw up everywhere…

He inhaled the sweet air hungrily, as he ran, not noticing the dark figure in front of him. The sunlight felt oh so good against his skin…

_BAM!_

For the second time that day, Naruto had been thrown off his feet. And unfortunately, unlike the incident in the morning, he couldn't avoid the oncoming impact as he went head first into a dazed looking Hinata.

"Oww…" Naruto whimpered and held his head, before looking around for his obstructer.

"Go-Go-Gomen ne, N-Naruto-kun!" a shrill voice rang out next to the blonde. Naruto jumped up in surprise, unaccustomed to the blushing figure being so close to him. He could almost feel her warmth radiate off her skin…

"H-Hi Hinata-chan!" Naruto grinned, and blushed. God he had just acted like an idiot in front of her! She must think that he was a coward or something for jumping away from her…!

Hinata smiled happily, realising that the blonde had kept the 'chan' suffix to her name. So it wasn't just a drunken habit of his then…

"Er… I'm sorry for crashing into you…" Naruto mumbled and gazed at the floor in mute fascination. She probably hated him. Not that he could blame her... She even went out of her way to take him home, and instead of thanking her, he goes and stupidly collides into her on sight… She was probably going to shout at him now, saying how dumb and useless and stupid he was… But the blonde was prepared – he fixed a goofy grin onto his features before the inevitable outburst…

But one never came. Naruto was slightly surprised until he realised it was Hinata. Oh well. Some things never changed… She _ never_ did speak much…

"Ne, Naruto-kun…" her soft voice perked up Naruto's ears in fascination, bringing him out of his self induced stupor. She had sounded so angelic… And she didn't stutter!! Was he hearing things?

"Want… Want to come to dinner with me? Tonight?" she asked shyly, gazing apprehensively into the astonished blue orbs in front of her.

The blonde froze - so he wasn't hearing things! She _wasn't_ stuttering! But just how did she manage to overcome that so easily?!

"Uh…" Naruto paused, then frowned slightly once his amazement diminished. Why was she inviting him to dinner? No one had ever invited him to dinner before... Was she mocking him? He gazed at her hopeful expression before him, looking for any signs of spite, hate and mockery he was oh so used to…

But he couldn't find any. She wasn't ridiculing him... Then again, was Hinata even capable of hurting a fly…? She was too kind - too compassionate... '_This Shinobi business really doesn't suit her…_' he thought sullenly.

And she looked so… _sweet_… So pure and angelic… He then felt extremely guilty for ever suspecting her in the first place… She wasn't like the rest of them… Well, at least she didn't _look_ like the rest of them… Those eyes… They weren't cold…

_They weren't cold at all..._

Naruto smiled, a rare smile that actually managed to reach his startling blue eyes. "Sure! But it's my treat!" he added hastily. After all, he had to repay her for taking him home the night before...

Hinata shook her head in swift disagreement. "No, I invited you! I-It's my treat!" she couldn't believe it. Here she was afraid that her favourite blonde would turn her down, but in fact he was offering to pay for the whole thing?! Finally! Things were beginning to look up!

"No I insist…" Naruto looked at the dark-haired girl solemnly, causing a pink blush to grace her features. "But… Uh…" the blonde hesitated. He didn't know why he was bothering to tell her all this, but something about her expression, so trusting… He was convinced that she'd never mock him, never hate him…

"I'm… I'm not good at this stuff…" he muttered quietly. "I haven't been to a restaurant before…" he added as an explanation, before looking away to hide the blush that was threatening to creep up upon him. For some strange reason, he didn't feel the need to act in front of her…

"Oh… I was only thinking of going Ichiraku…" Hinata added, silently thrilled that the blonde was appearing to confide in her! Her of all people! And that he was going to have dinner with _her_! Just the two of them! She had the sudden urge to dance merrily up and down the street...

Naruto's eyes brightened immediately. "You like ramen too, Hinata-chan?!" he jumped up and down excitedly. "Can't wait then! See you there, outside the shop, at… Er… 6?" his eyes gleamed hopefully. He loved ramen… Maybe more than he liked to train.

_Maybe._

Hinata felt the all-familiar rush of conflicting emotions soar through her body. He looked so damn _cute_… She managed a weak nod, before smiling at the objects of her affections as a sign of agreement. Looked like her plan went well – after all, she got her desired reaction in the end... It was old news that he liked, no - _loved_ ramen… So why not eat somewhere he liked? She was happy either way, as long as she got to spend some time with him…

Anything was worth that...

Especially for _ that_ smile.

-------------------------

"Bu it doesn't make sense…" Ino was on the verge of tears. Sasuke was jealous of Sakura?! Well… That would explain the jealous look followed by the blank one towards the pink-haired girl. But… _The Uchiha heir jealous FOR the hyperactive blonde idiot?_ The blonde girl couldn't even possibly _ begin_ to fathom this crazy idea…

"Che, who knows?" Shikamaru murmured, his hands rubbing small comforting circles upon the back of his tense lover. Sasuke was too damn troublesome… Too damn mysterious as well… Even now, no one except maybe Sakura, knew why he had _ suddenly_ decided to run away… Pah…

_Did he think that being impassive was cool?!_

"Am I meant to tell her?" Ino asked, as she faced her shadow lover. Images of Sakura flashed up in her mind… Sakura shocked… Angry… Upset… Sakura crying. Tears running down her face… Unable to stop…

That last image was the most heartbreaking one of all.

Shikamaru's heart almost broke as he saw unshed tears sparking within his lover's blue orbs. He was dreading this… Gossiping always somehow led to broken friendships… He suddenly wished he hadn't voiced his opinion at all…

"Lets not be so hasty," he whispered, gathering the stricken girl's face in his warm hands. "We're only guessing after all…"

The blonde hiccupped. Shikamaru instinctively held her closer, planting a soft, feathery kiss upon her forehead. She looked so vulnerable… She must really love the pink haired girl… To be worrying so much about her… To be crying for her…

The shadow Shinobi suddenly felt a pang of jealously. '_I wonder if she'd ever cry for me like this?_' he thought distractedly, as his lover's head rested limply against his chest.

The couple sat in this position for what seemed like an eternity, the blonde seeking comfort within the warm embrace that her lover more than willingly provided. Neither spoke – it wasn't required... She sought comfort in the fact that he was there for her, and he sought comfort in her presence... And the knowledge that she had come to him for consolation...

"Maru…" Ino whispered, eyes half closed. Shikamaru did not reply, but his attention was completely focused upon the blonde Shinobi lying within his arms. He brushed a strand of golden hair away from her pale face.

"I… I'm so glad we don't have problems like that…" she murmured, as her grip tightened upon her lover. Why was she thinking about these things!? She sighed. She suddenly felt the urgency to let her boyfriend know _ just_ how much she cared for him...

But how was she going to word it? Seeing everyone else's problems made her realise how lucky she was, how blessed she was to have met him, to be sharing her life with him his way…

"I –" she hesitated, trying to find the words…

He was so perfect.

"I... love you."

There. All her feelings and emotions had been laid bare with those 3 little words. Only 8 letters in total, yet they meant _ so_ much to her… This had been the first time that she had said those 3 words in their 3 years of being together, and now that she had finally got it out of they way, she suddenly felt extremely relieved. It seemed so natural, so perfect…

She didn't care whether he loved her back or not. After all, she didn't love to be loved back… She was just happy that she finally had the courage to tell him how she felt, how she felt inside… It was like a huge burden eased from her presence.

She sighed and hugged him closer.

At least she'd never regret anything...

"I love you too…" came the quiet response, 5 minutes later. His reply was soft and gentle, sending a flood of warmth through the blonde haired girl. His voice had wavered a little, which brought out the sincerity of his words… The way he had said it…

She smiled.

She knew he meant it.

-------------------------------------

Naruto was outside Ichiraku at exactly 6pm, to find a patient Hinata there already standing and waiting.

"I'm not late am I?" he asked worriedly, gazing at his wrists for a non-existent watch.

"N-No, Naruto-kun! I just arrived!" she boldly gave him one of her most attractive smiles, hoping to get some kind of positive reaction out of him, then wondered when the hell she had managed to work up the nerve to do so.

"Hey, are you ok?" the blonde asked, after a moment of hesitation. "Are you feeling ill?" his face openly curious. Hinata's face burned with embarrassment. Either he didn't understand her advances or she just looked stupid... She opted for the latter. '_I must've looked so weird… Arghh…_' she mentally screamed.

"N-No, I'm f-fine!" she squeaked. There goes her plan to make him hopelessly fall in love with her. Oh well… She sighed inwardly. Nothing ever went her way…

"Come on, let's go inside then!" Naruto's faced broke out in a grin, immediately warming the dispirited girl to the heart. Sighing secretly in longing, she followed the hyperactive blonde into the warm interior of Ichiraku's.

------------------------------

About one and a half hours later, a very sedated and content Naruto emerged from the ramen stall, followed by a blushing girl with long dark hair. He stretched out his arms and sighed.

"So… Wanna go for a walk?" he asked lazily. He didn't feel like going home, not when he was feeling so warm and so full… A small smile graced his lips. Ramen could make any day go from bad to good…

Hinata froze in her tracks. Was he asking her to accompany him? So the night _ wasn't _ over? _ Oh my god…_ Since they had hardly said anything to each other while eating, she had naturally presumed that the blonde found her boring... The truth was, she was just way too shy to attempt a conversation, and the blonde had seemed really preoccupied with gulping down as much ramen as possible anyway… At the rate he was inhaling the bowls of tasteless plastic, she was surprised that he hadn't choked!! She idly wondered if there was some kind of record he wanted to break, like most bowls of ramen eaten in one night, or something bizarre like that…

"Hello? Hinata-chan?" Naruto frowned and waved his arms frantically in front of the dark-haired girl's face. "You still here?"

Hinata gasped, and hurtled back to reality. "Go-Gomen ne, N-Naruto-kun!" _Damn it!!_ She had furiously hoped that she had gotten over her stuttering problem in front of Naruto, but it had stubbornly returned full blast. She still couldn't understand why! One minute, she felt so relaxed, so at ease around the blonde boy, and so comfortable… Like the night before… Then the next she was a bundle of nerves!! Arghh Stupid hormones…!

"You're really quiet you know…" the blonde shinobi commented. Actually quiet was an understatement. She was so quiet that it could almost be termed abnormal...!

"Gomen ne…" Hinata's voice trailed off.

"You have to stand up for yourself more! There's no need to be sorry!" Naruto smiled warmly, and the dark-haired girl felt herself blush once more. How did he always manage to say the right things?

"Gomen… I mean… Ok…" she gazed up into blue eyes, even as her insides shivered in apprehension. She still couldn't believe that it was all happening to her! She felt like the luckiest girl in the world…

"Good!" the blonde grinned contagiously. "Soo… Where you wanna go?"

"I know!!" Hinata covered her hands with her mouth before she could stop the outburst. Argh she sounded so desperate! The blonde looked at her with a slight expression of amusement, before encouraging her to continue.

"I mean, I-I know this place… I-it's… O-one of my favourite places… It's so b-b-beautiful…" _like you..._ She wasn't lying - she really did love that place, although she never did get to visit it much… In her opinion, it was the most magical place on earth...

"Sure Hinata-chan! I'd love to see your special place!" Naruto grinned, then realised what he had said. "I mean," he flustered, cheeks red. "Your _ favourite_ place… Not special… I don't mean it _that_ way…" he shuffled uncomfortably.

Seeing the usually cheerful and confident boy looking so damn vulnerable gave the dark-haired girl a burst of confidence. What the hell!

It was definitely now or never!

---------------------

Naruto found himself walking hauntingly familiar pathways. '_She couldn't be. Not there… No one knows about that place… Do they?'_ he thought frantically, while trying to calm him racing heart.

The usually silent girl had suddenly become slightly more talkative, but none of her words seemed to be getting through to the blonde. He just nodded and smiled a few times on cue, wondering what the heck had gotten into the people of Konoha today. First Sakura, and now Hinata? Was there some kind of talkative flu going round? He shook his head in bewilderment.

The pair continued walking as the familiar surroundings troubled Naruto like a bitch. '_Oh god, please not there…_' he thought numbly. He had a sudden urge to just run home and leave the dark-haired girl to fend for herself… But he didn't want to seem rude – especially after the favour she did for him the night before…

A recurring sense of dread knotted at his stomach. It wasn't happening again! It couldn't be happening again! Too much… It was all too much to handle… Why was it all coming back to haunt him?

The blonde gulped nervously. He was just reading too much into things again! This is a big forest! Hinata could be going anyway! '_You're just being paranoid… She wouldn't go there…_' he tried to convince himself.

"- and then she almost fell over out... Oh… we're here," Hinata smiled, as the two stepped out of the pathway and into the thick foliage.

And as they emerged from the other side, Naruto couldn't hold back his gasp.

They were standing at the edge of a small lake, hidden between abundant stumps of trees. The reflected moonlight upon the still waters cast an eerie glow all over the scenario...

What the blonde had dreaded had ironically come true...

_Sasuke… _

"Not here again…" Naruto whispered, eyes dazed. "Not here…"

_------------- Flashback – Part I -------------_

_ 5 years ago… (both boys are 16)_

"Come fight me Sasuke!" Naruto shouted energetically, pointing his trademark finger at his adversary.

The Uchiha boy just stared blankly ahead into the distance, as if he didn't hear a thing. But this didn't perturb the hyperactive blonde.

"Oi, oi, oi!" Naruto shouted. No reaction. The blonde frowned, and poked the stoic boy in the shoulder. "Are you ok man? You've been acting weird recently…"

"Go away, dobe…" the dark-haired boy snapped out of his stupor, and growled dangerously at the kitsune.

"Sheesh, who stuck a stick up your tight ass?" Naruto glared back. God he hated the Uchiha's unpredictable mood swings. It was as if he had constant PMS! Geh - even Sakura didn't act this bad during her 'time of month!'

Sasuke glowered back, not uttering a word. For some strange reason, this really bothered Naruto.

"Hehe, you're just afraid that I'll kick your ass!" the blonde grinned, gathering all his effort together to provoke his eternal yet silent rival.

No reaction.

"Fine, I get the point…" Naruto muttered, looking at the floor. He felt really uncomfortable… So much energy, and no one to spar with… Argh why was that… that _prick_ acting like a prick for!? He _ usually_ wanted to fight… Just what the hell was wrong with him?

Almost immediately, the blonde's face brightened up. He smirked evilly. He had a plan.

"Sexy-no-jutsu!"

Standing in Naruto's place was a very female, and very naked girl with long blonde pigtails either side of her head. She winked devilishly.

"Sasuke-kun…." Naruto whined, as he wrapped his long slender arms around the stoic boy from behind. "Why won't you spar with me?" he purred his words, as sexily as he could muster. This was it! Cold-hearted boy was finally going to break and drool! The blonde could feel his victory inching ever closer and closer...

"Go away, baka dobe," came the growl, as the blonde's approaches were immediately shrugged off.

What the hell?! Sexy-no-jutsu failed?! But it _never_ failed! What was gong on? Maybe Sasuke wasn't human after all! Arghh… Naruto breathed deeply. No there had to be a mistake… He just needed a _ little_ more effort…

Putting on his most attractive pout and puppy dog eyes, he once again inched closer to his rival.

"Ne… Sasuke… koi…" Naruto saw the dark-haired boy flinch. Yes! This was it! He was finally getting there! Woohoo! Ah, the feel of power and accomplishment! He finally made his rival react! He was human after all! Muahahaha! Now to make him squeal… Clear blue eyes flashed seductively.

"Is there anything wrong?" the blonde murmured softly, putting on his cutest baby voice, as he jumped lightly onto the Uchiha's lap. He wrapped his arms around the un-amused boy, and smirked in triumph as no attempt was made to push him away again.

'_Yes! He's finally falling for my all-powerful jutsu!'_ Naruto grinned to himself. He held back an urge to jump up and scream in elation.

No reply came.

Grr… Ok so more effort was needed. The blonde smirked, and crushed himself against the chest of his rival, hoping that his breasts were somehow stimulating the uncommunicative boy to feel _something_. He then realised with a shock how warm the dark haired boy really was… And how his body was so well toned… Naruto frowned, before shaking his head, removing the unwanted thoughts from his mind. Who cared whether the Uchiha was warm or not?! Anyway, back to the mission in hand…

"Sasuke-kun…" Naruto made his voice wobble intentionally. "I… Don't you like me?" he gazed into the cold eyes of his rival, as his own blue eyes misted over with sparkling tears. He blushed slightly when he realised Sasuke was actually looking back at him… Funny. Naruto had never noticed his eyes before… The black orbs seemed to look deep inside him, look into his soul... Seemed to _touch_ the essence of his being… His eyes… So dark… So…passionate… So _mystifying_…

The Uchiha scowled, waking the kitsune from his trance.

'_Oh well. that's better than no reaction at all…_' Naruto thought glumly.

The blonde then decided that a more desperate plan of action was required. It was getting extremely difficult to complete this mission of torturing Sasuke - therefore drastic actions were now necessary... Who knew that the boy had such a high resistance to naked girls?

Naruto buried his head into his rival's pale neck, inhaling the unique Uchiha scent. He suddenly found himself wondering how Sasuke would taste, and how it would feel to kiss it… To lick it… Horrified, the blonde shook the terrifying ideas out if his head. Damn being in girl form! It was starting to make him think like a girl too! Arghh… Too much oestrogen! Must... Not... Succumb...!

Naruto took a deep breath to compose himself. He couldn't give up. Not now. Not when he had the Uchiha heir so close… He was _ so close_ to breaking! Just one more push…

"You're so cute…" the blonde purred into his teammate's ear, before mentally slapping himself. Cute? Couldn't he have come up with a better word? '_I wonder how many times he's heard that…'_ Naruto thought, as he blew lightly upon his rival's neck, watching intently for a reaction in mute fascination. That _had_ to send him shivering! Who could resist that!?

Yet there was no reaction. The stoic boy was still glaring at him, as if daring him to try one more time. It seemed to shout "I win again, dobe…" This, as expected, made the blonde even more furious.

And a hell of a lot more determined.

For extra effort, Naruto wrapped his long toned legs around the waist of the raven-haired boy. Grinning evilly, he pushed himself deeper onto the boy, expecting to feel a suspicious bulge down below... There _must_ be _some_ evidence that he was getting turned on by the blonde's antics, even _if _the Uchiha hid it well… Right?! After all - _no one_ could resist the sexy-no-jutsu...!

Right?!

Yes, maybe he was taking things a bit too far, but now that he had gotten to this point, it was hard to turn back! He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt the urge to make the boy react, to make him _admit_ that he was human… And the extra energy stored within the blonde boy didn't help much either... It seemed to egg him on, pushing his limits just a little further…

He was determined to find out _just_ how much the anti-social boy could hack before he cracked…

Naruto shuffled deeper and deeper into the lap of the raven-haired boy, nudging around, trying to feel, trying to sense…

But there was nothing. Sasuke didn't seem turned on one bit.

Naruto frowned before rubbing himself desperately against the raven-haired boy. Maybe he just needed a little encouragement... After all, a little friction could go a long way…! Maybe he was one of those guys who _needed_ to be physically stimulated!!

But still no response.

'_What the hell! Nothing? He must be a little turned on!! I'm a naked girl for god's sake!'_ Naruto was shocked to say the least.

He was about to resume his rubbing, not realising that the boy in question was now sporting a murderous gleam in his eye.

"Get off me you fool!" Sasuke growled, and with an unexpected push, Naruto's naked girl form crumpled on the floor.

"You're no fun!" the blonde pouted, and transformed back into a boy. He stuck his tongue out childishly for effect, not caring that it made him look 12 again.

"If you want to talk to me again, don't come in that pathetic form!" With a flash, the raven-haired boy was gone, leaving Naruto sitting by himself upon the grassy ground.

_What the hell?! Ok, either he was losing his sexy-no-jutsu touch, or Sasuke was just a freak..._

He frowned, still feeling the warmth that he had stolen from sitting on top of the dark-haired boy. He had looked so sexy… So…_lickable_… the blonde whimpered silently, as forbidden images of Sasuke cropped up in his mind… Sasuke's ivory skin, his neck… His warm chest… His unique musky smell… And rubbing against the stoic boy had felt so damn good…

A little _too_ damn good...

Arghh! Naruto shook the mental images out of his mind. What the hell was happening to him! God, he'd have to stop using that jutsu so much… Maybe it _was_ dangerous! He was even starting to _ think_ like a girl…! Damn Sasuke and his ability to attract every single breathing girl on this whole damn planet!

He sighed and attempted to get up, before settling back down on the floor again. What the hell?! Why were his trousers were feeling so uncomfortably tight…? He looked down in curiosity, before blushing at the obvious sight of his own arousal.

Damn it!! Not only did he fail in making Sasuke look like an idiot, he had once again dug a hole for himself…

And what a _ deep_ hole it was…

_----------------- End of Flashback – Part I ------------------_

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End of chapter 6

You happy, you happy?! truths of the past are about to be revealed... Oooh... does funky arm movements  
Uh huh this is just the first part to the many 'flashbacks' which will explain everything...  
And remember, patience is a good virtue! runs away before getting hit by loads of chopsticks

Sakura: (furious and smacks Naruto over the head) HOW DARE YOU! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO SASUKE-KUN?!  
Naruto: (confused and rubs head in pain) Huh?  
Sasuke: (blushes)  
_Uh huh, Sasuke just BLUSHED.  
_Sakura: EXPLAIN THIS! (holds out flyer showing a picture of Naruto and Sasuke in 'that' position)  
Naruto: (confused) What about it?  
Sakura: What the hell were you doing?!  
Naruto: ... I don't get it.  
_Sasuke drags Naruto out of Sakura's earshot and explains it to him.  
_Naruto: (screams) Arghh Sasuke you sick sick bastard!  
Sasuke: (Angrily) It wasn't MY fault! Your the one that bent over!  
_Kakashi appears, again and pushes Naruto into Sasuke who falls over, takes a photo and disappears before Sakura even notices.  
_Sakura: (screams in horror) NOOOOOO! SASUKEEEEEE!  
_Uh huh, Naruto has fallen onto Sasuke, and his mouth just happens to hover above the Uchiha's crotch..._


	7. But I can never now be true

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto. And probably never will...  
**Title**: I think I better leave right now - chapter 7**  
Author**: Purrfectly679 - e-mail purrfectly679hotmail.com for comments and suggestions. Feedback highly appreciated.  
**Rating**: R, angst, bad language, slight AU, mild sexual situations. SakuSasu, SasuNaru, ShikaIno, HinaNaru...   
**Notes**: No spoilers. This is a revised repost. This is the start of many flashbacks...

**Previously**: Hinata brings Naruto to a lake, where many suppressed memories are now being relived...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"It's beautiful, isn't it…" Hinata sighed enthralled, as she took her standing position beside the blonde boy. She gazed out onto the serene landscape, as her breath hitched in her throat. This _had_ to be the most beautiful place on earth… And who better to share it with than the one boy she adored so much?

_Could things be any more perfect?_

She felt so calm, so at ease... The feeling of comfort crept up upon her again, and she welcomed it with open arms. It was just like the night before… When Naruto had held her… The feeling of peace, of serenity…

He was _sure_ to like this place… Then again, who wouldn't? It was perfect… And the other ideal factor about it was that very few people knew that it existed, since it was so well hidden by the dense forest trees… She had actually stumbled upon it accidentally, during one of her training sessions gone wrong… She stifled a giggle as she remembered how she had yelled a little too loudly at Kiba, and then ran off in shamed mortification...

Sighing a little in melancholy, the dark-haired girl stole a quick glance at the blonde beside her. She was shocked when she saw that his usually sparkling blue eyes were dull and unfocussed. He seemed almost drunk again, except this time he seemed intoxicated by an unknown force...

Sudden worry gripped at her heart. Was he feeling ok? Did he have a headache?

Were the effects of his hangover playing up again?

"It's beautiful…" the blonde croaked weakly, albeit reluctantly. He wanted nothing better than to collapse pitifully upon the floor… But that wasn't a very polite way to treat your companion now, was it? He had to stay strong… Act tough… Otherwise Hinata would suspect something…

And whatever happened, NO ONE was to find out…

_No one could ever find out…_

The dark-haired girl watched the blonde silently, and felt her heart break. His eyes - they betrayed so much hurt, so much pain… Why the hell was he in so much pain? She wondered sadly whether it had anything to do with the memories of the 'dark haired person…'

And judging by the blonde's drunken comments towards this unnamed person the night before, Hinata began to wonder what the hell this person had done to break the blonde's heart…

To break the heart that had seemed unbreakable.

_--------------------- Flashback – Part II ---------------------_

"Sasuke, you're such a bastard…" Naruto growled as he ran through the woods. It had been exactly 4 hours since he had last seen Sasuke… And 4 hours since _that_ incident… He blushed furiously from the memory of the encounter.

Whether he liked to admit it or not, the blonde was rather regretting his actions. Maybe he had taken things just a _little_ too far today… He shivered in dread as he remembered wrapping his legs around the stoic boy. What on earth had possessed him to do that?!

_But he was so warm…_

Naruto quickly shook the guilty thoughts out of his head. What the hell was going on?! He shouldn't be thinking of his comrades in that manner, let alone his male companion!

'_Must be the jutsu…_' he rationalized to himself. '_Yep, that had to be it. Being in girl form corrupts your mind…_' Especially when it came to Sasuke... Maybe that boy was too attractive for his own good... Then he silently pitied the whole female population in Konoha for having to bear with such unhealthy thoughts...

Such _very_ unhealthy thoughts.

Keeping that in mind, the blonde resumed his mission of hunting down his rival to ensure that things weren't 'weird' between them. After all, Sasuke was probably one of the few friends he had… That's _if_ you could call their strange relationship _friendship_…

He sighed and fervently hoped that nothing had changed…

-----------------

After about another 2 hours of fruitless searching, Naruto decided to give up. For one reason or another, the stoic boy just did not want to be found. And when Sasuke wanted to hide, he did it very well… He wasn't Konoha's former number one rookie for nothing…

The blonde heaved a weary sigh. Looks like he'd have to apologise in the morning….

Unless of course, the Uchiha boy would've forgotten it by then.

Oh how he hoped it would be the latter.

-----------------------

For one reason or another, Naruto found himself walking aimlessly into a clearing of tree stumps. He was rather shocked when he regained his senses, as he didn't even remember blanking out.

'_Where am I? I don't remember ever being here before…'_ he thought in silent confusion.

The blonde gazed bewilderedly around him.

Then gasped.

In front of him was the most beautiful lake he had ever seen.

_--------------------- End of flashback – Part II ---------------------_

"N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata stammered. She was at a loss of words. What was she supposed to do? Seeing the blonde in this state… He seemed so _vulnerable_… Should she hug him? Or would he break at the slightest feel of her touch?

Her heart broke when she saw the pain in those blue eyes… The pain that cried out to her… She felt her heart wrench agonizingly within her chest.

Who did this to him? Who had hurt him so badly? Who was that person with the dark hair?

Something definitely wasn't right here… He wasn't like this before… He was fine… He was normal, happy, smiling… Until…

Until they had arrived here.

The dark-haired girl then realised rather sullenly that the blonde must've had some really _bad_ experiences from this place beside the lake…

Experiences bad enough to shatter his heart.

--------------------- Flashback – Part III ---------------------

Naruto gaped in awe, his mouth hanging open shamelessly. Where was this place? Did he just somehow walk into a vortex and end up in another dimension? He held his breath as each minute detail of the surrounding area sank into his sense, sank into his mind... The area looked so mystical, so surreal… The silver moonlight glinted off the calm waters, adding an extra appeal to the already bewildering atmosphere.

It was like a dream…

Somehow he had stumbled into a beautiful dream…

------------

"What do you want," a monotonous voice spoke softly. It wasn't even a question, more like a statement. Naruto looked around him frantically as he recognised the low hues of his rival's voice.

And there he was. The boy genius was sitting on a rock, facing the illuminated lake, his back to the blonde boy.

Naruto, to say the least, was shocked that he hadn't even noticed Sasuke's presence. Especially since he had been standing there for a few good seconds…

'_How? What…_' he reached out an unsteady hand to brush away a strand of blonde hair from his eyes, as his mind raced unnaturally. He was a Shinobi… So why wasn't he even _aware_ of the other boy's presence?

He then noticed how the heir to the Uchiha clan seemed to blend in with the environment… His dark blue shirt provided a good camouflage against the dim background… His hair appeared to absorb the darkness, making it almost darker than the blackest of nights…

But his arms… His arms were a complete contrast from his clothes… His skin appeared to be glowing a faint silver, giving him a timeless, almost ethereal beauty... He was like an angel from the skies…

Naruto realised that with a jolt of surprise that he was beauitful...

Yes even from the back, _Sasuke was beautiful..._

"I said, what do you want." The sentence was short and sweet. Naruto was half expecting a 'Go away you moron' or a 'Leave me alone, dobe.' After all, if someone had stumbled upon and interrupted the blonde in this haunting place, he would've been slightly pissed off. It was too special, too precious… It was just _too_ magical to share...

Especially with someone who was considered a rival.

The kitsune frowned, wondering why the stoic boy hadn't told him to leave yet… After all, he _was_ there first, so technically, he had the right to order the blonde to depart. He stared into the back of Sasuke, slightly puzzled by the slight change in persona in the raven-haired boy.

Sure it was a small transformation, but Naruto didn't hang out with the boy all these years and not notice the little changes.

Maybe it _was_ a dream…

"How did you know I was here?" the blonde asked breathlessly. Thanks to the harsh training sessions and tutorials initiated by Kakashi, the whole of team 7 were now experts at stealth and silent missions. From walking and breathing, to throwing kunais at critical soundless levels... It was definitely a skill well worth learning. And even though Naruto had found the ability hard to grasp at the beginning, due to his naturally loud and obnoxious nature, he had managed to perfect it after sheer hard work and determination...

And he _knew_ that he had walked up to the Uchiha just as silently as he had been trained.

"Shinobi's do not just use their eyes and ears… Smell is also a very important and beneficial sense…" Sasuke murmured quietly, without turning around. Naruto frowned. Usually, he would've gotten angry at that belittling comment – it was as if the raven-haired boy was mocking him - mocking him for his lack of basic knowledge when it came to the world of the ninjas, ridiculing him just because he _could_… Yet the blonde could not detect a hint of the usual superiority within the tone of his rival's voice.

Which was very strange.

_Very very strange._

"I could smell you a mile away… Especially since the wind is behind you…" the Uchiha explained.

At this point, Naruto became quite scared to say the least. Instead of mocking him as he usually did, the stoic boy had actually _explained_ something to him… And had actually explained something without heavy sarcasm and blatant patronization.

This wasn't Sasuke that the blonde knew!

This _couldn't_ be him!

"Where's Sasuke, and what have you done with him?" Naruto blurted out before he could stop himself. He didn't care how stupid he sounded - he just wanted to know what the hell was going on!

There was no reply. OK so maybe he hadn't changed _that_ much after all…

Sighing a little in bafflement, the blonde slowly crept towards the usually unapproachable boy in mild curiosity...

If he had known what would've happened before he decided to make that fatal move, then maybe... Maybe he would've stayed back and stayed away... He _should've_ stayed back… He should've run home, gone to bed and forced himself to forget about this place…

Because maybe, just _maybe_ none of this would've _ever_ happened if he had done so…

Then maybe Sasuke wouldn't have left.

_--------------------- End of flashback – Part III ---------------------_

Naruto glanced fretfully at the rock in front of him that Sasuke had once been perched on. '_It's the same rock… After all this time, it's still there…' _

He couldn't hold it in anymore… He couldn't believe it… The last time he had been here was during that incident… Just what was he doing here? Why did they have to come here of all places? Just WHY?

He slumped to the floor despairingly. He should've known… He should've known that nothing would ever go his way… He shouldn't have bothered trying to hide his memories… It was obvious that the past would always somehow come back to haunt him…

But he had been doing so well! He hadn't come here - not even ONCE - since _the_ incident… And the dreams about _him_ had diminished… The possibility of _him_ returning had been literally zilch…! He had seriously believed that he had moved on…Moved away from all of it… From his past…

But then he _did_ return. And now it looked like his past has also decided to return.

-----------------------

"N-Naruto-kun? Are you ok?" a high-pitched voice asked, desperation and concern evident within the tones. The dark-haired girl debated whether to try and comfort the obviously distressed blonde. His eyes had lost all its warmth… All its life…

She decided to sit next to the boy, too scared to touch him in case he might freak out. She had never seen him in this state before, and it truly frightened her…

Yet it also made her adore him so much more. His weaker side revealed just how human he was, how fragile… She wanted to protect him… Protect him from whatever it was that he was so afraid of…

_Protect him __f__rom whoever that had made his bright eyes dull._

"I'm here for you Naruto…" Hinata whispered softly.

But the blonde heard nothing but the beating of his own frantic heart.

--------------------- Flashback – Part IV ---------------------

The blonde gasped loudly for the second time that night.

Sasuke… Sasuke was…

_He was breathtaking._

The moonlight complimented his pale features perfectly. His dark lashes kissed his high cheekbones; his nose curved at all the right angles, and his lips contrasted a deep red against his overall fair complexion… He looked like a totally different person… Sure Sasuke was handsome during the day, but this was… _This was way beyond even him_. He looked like an angel…

But it wasn't just his appearance that had fazed the hyperactive blonde…

It was his expression.

Never before had Naruto ever seen _so_ much emotion upon the usually impassive boy's face. It was as if his arrogant nature that pissed the blonde off so damn much was nothing but a wall…

'_A wall like mine…_' the blonde realised with sudden shock.

The raven-haired boy's eyebrows were knotted in semi-confusion, but his eyes… His eyes were deep and black… So mystifying… Yet held such… Was that longing? Yes… his eyes were filled with yearning; the type of yearning that seemed to cause him utter and complete pain...

The longing that Naruto was all too familiar with…

_The longing for something that you could never have._

Maybe the consequences of transforming into a girl were still in effect, or maybe it was just the atmosphere – either way, Naruto felt a sudden urge to bring the beautiful creature sitting in front of him _whatever_ he wanted, _whatever_ he longed for…

No matter what it took…

----------------------

The two boys stayed in that position for what it seemed like an eternity – the blonde staring openly at the dark-haired boy, as the dark-haired boy stared off into the distance. Yet neither party backed off.

Sasuke continued his anguished contemplation, seemingly oblivious to Naruto as the blonde watched on in morbid fascination. What could the boy want so much? He was _Sasuke_ for god's sake! What couldn't the great Sasuke possibly get?

He wasn't like the blonde… The blonde had nothing – no friends, no relatives, no respect... He had the _right_ to yearn… but the Uchiha _didn't_! He had no right to want more than he had! If he just opened his eyes and looked around him… He'd see so much love, so much admiration…

He had everything Naruto had ever yearned for.

And yet he wanted more.

The blonde wanted to get angry. He really did. He wanted to be irate with the stoic boy, for being so damn blind, for being so _damn_ selfish…

And yet he couldn't. For some strange reason he couldn't bring himself to shout, to _hate_ the boy sitting almost next to him...

_His eyes…So sad…_

He looked like a fallen angel…

An angel that had been forced to re-live the worse memories of his life.

-----------------------

Naruto lost track of time as he continued to simply stand and exist. It was so peaceful, so calm... Tranquility settled like a thick duvet around the two rivals. It was a rare occurrence, and yet it was so natural... _It felt so natural..._

_Both felt so at ease._

"Why are we here Naruto?" a soft voice suddenly asked, jarring the blonde back to reality.

Naruto's face resumed one of his trademark frowns of confusion. Did the stoic boy just MAKE conversation?! That _had_ to be a first!

"I know I'M here cos I got lost, but how the hell am I supposed to know why you're here?" he complained incredulously, misunderstanding the Uchiha's question.

The raven-haired boy didn't reply, which irritated the blonde. He stomped up nosily towards the other boy, prepared to shout and rant at him. Why the hell was he was SO damn RUDE anyway?! If he asked a question, then he could at least have the _decency_ to hear out the answer...!

But as he got closer, he realised that the Uchiha heir wasn't smirking at him as the blonde had originally envisaged. What shocked him even more was that a small smile seemed to grace his lips... Was it true? Could Sasuke actually be smiling?!

Sasuke _could_ smile?!

Ignoring the fact that his rare smile had made the Uchiha look even more amazing, Naruto acted the way he always did in his presence.

Angrily.

"What you laughing about?" he muttered suspiciously. He suddenly felt self-conscious. Did he do something stupid? Or maybe he had _said_ something stupid! He racked his brain furiously for an explanation.

Suddenly it hit him.

"It's not that hard to get lost you know..." he murmured, slightly embarrassed that a shinobi could lost in his own village. Ugh he hated it! He hated the fact that the raven-haired boy could get a reaction out of him so easily... Even if it was a negative one, such as embarrassment, or anger - the blonde was angry that he couldn't even seem to restrain his own emotions within the stoic boy's presence…

_How did Sasuke manage to break down his walls with such ease?_

----------------------

Once again silence greeted both boys with open arms.

Never being one to manage to stay still for long, Naruto surprised even himself as he jumped up onto the rock that Sasuke was sitting gracefully upon.

He didn't know what came over him...What possessed him… Usually the two boys hated the sight of each other, and tried to get as far away from each other as physically possible... (Except when sparring of course...) They were like two magnets - one as cold as the north, and the other as bright as the south... Yet although they probably wouldn't damn admit it out loud, one was not complete without the other...

Yet they repelled. And Naruto felt this quite visible force as he plonked himself awkwardly beside the stoic boy.

But he didn't flinch, nor did he walk away. The blonde realised, rather sullenly, that this was the first ever occasion that someone hadn't tried to get away from him when he had come near...

Even in kindergarten, even when the children were way too young to _understand_ that they were _meant_ to despise him, they still walked away whenever he came near... They still shuddered when he spoke... Scooted away when they thought he wasn't looking...

But he was looking.

It was all done semi-politely though, as if the children were trying to tell him '_I'm supposed to hate you, but I don't know why... But I don't want to make my daddy angry... I'm sorry...'_

And maybe he wouldn't have felt so bad if someone had actually _said_ that to him.

But no one did.

And as time went on, the non-understanding stayed the same... And the hate continued to grow.

And so, the blonde heart started to crumble, and inevitably became colder...

_--------------------- End of flashback – Part IV ---------------------_

"N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata suddenly found the strength and confidence in herself to move closer to the shaking blonde sitting beside her. She still didn't know what was wrong – he hadn't said a word in ages. He just sat there, looking dazed… Eyes filled with pain…

So much pain…

She reached out a small hand, and inched it closer towards the quivering blonde. She wanted to help him so bad! But she didn't know what to do! How could she make him stop hurting? How…

She closed her eyes and gently lowered her hand upon the blonde's hair. She didn't want to alarm him… Scare him away…

She sighed in relief when he didn't flinch or shrug her off. In fact, his erratic breathing seemed to somewhat calm. Maybe physical contact _was_ good for situations like this…

Just to let them know that they weren't alone… That someone was there...

_And that someone cared…_

_--------------------- Flashback – Part V ---------------------_

"I…I think I shouldn't have done what I did today…" Naruto murmured softly, after sitting in silence for about 10 minutes. Even he was surprised at his own behaviour. Konoha's number one loudest ninja was… quiet for once in his life! He had somehow managed to sit next to his archrival, and not say _anything_! He didn't poke him, insult him, shout at him, fight him… Hell, he wasn't even feeling pissed off at him!

And now he was _apologising_ to him? Could this day get any stranger?

Naruto rubbed his head wearily, waiting for an answer.

"Are you apologising?" Sasuke asked after a few seconds hesitation, a little confusion apparent in his voice.

"No I'm not!" Naruto snapped automatically. Then he held his breath. Why did this always happen? No matter what the Uchiha boy said or did, the blonde always took it offensively…

"I mean… Uh… Yeh… I am…" he muttered softly, as he averted his gaze to the lake. The wind was gently ruffling the surface of the water, sending shards of reflected silver light in millions of different directions. It was so breathtaking.

The kitsune was horrified when he heard a low chuckle a few seconds later. Did he-?! What the-? What the fuck was that?!

He span his head round furiously to face the stoic boy, who was wearing a bemused expression upon his fair features. Naruto searched his face, looking for any signs of mockery or ridicule...

But there was none.

And so the day carried on getting stranger and stranger…

---------------------------

"Wanna go for a swim?" the raven-haired boy asked, unexpectedly, as if he had forgotten that Naruto was half way to apologising. The blonde stared at him dumbfounded. What the hell? Did Sasuke just invite him to do something other than spar?! And _why_ swimming of all things?!

"Isn't it a bit cold?" the smaller boy narrowed his blue eyes suspiciously. Maybe the stoic boy wanted to get him ill... Yeah that was it! Sasuke wanted to make him sick so that he wouldn't be able to train...

Or even worse, maybe the raven-haired boy wanted to drown him!

Naruto gulped nervously.

"Suit yourself," the soft voice replied. Sasuke hopped off the rock that the two boys were sharing and began to tug at his clothes.

"W-What are you doing?!" Naruto cried out, wondering why the hell his heart was beating so furiously. He was so glad that it was dark enough to hide the blush that was threatening to spill over his features.

"I'm going swimming... You don't expect me to swim with my clothes on do you?" came the nonchalant response.

"...dobe." The stoic boy seemed to add that as an afterthought, although the usual venom wasn't in it.

"Why are you swimming at this time of the night anyway?" Naruto questioned, sounding angrier than he felt. He quickly averted his gaze from the now topless boy. He could still feel his heart beating rapidly, as if he had just run a marathon. Just what the hell was wrong with him?! Was... Was Sasuke doing this to him??

"I mean... You might catch a cold..." the blonde added, sounding pathetic to even his own ears. He didn't know why he didn't want the raven-haired boy to swim. Usually he would've encouraged the anti-social boy to jump right in! After all, he was the one that would be getting cold... And there was also the slight possibility that he would get ill... And maybe even drown...

_Ah… If only…_

But maybe Naruto didn't want to sit there by himself and watch the dark haired boy frolic in the waters... Maybe there was a slight possibility that the blonde might actually _enjoy_ the stoic boy's company...

Was that even possible? To enjoy the company of his anti-social, non-communicative dark-haired rival?

Either way, Naruto heard himself utter the words that he knew he'd come to regret.

"Wait for me!"

Sasuke paused with his hands on the waistband of his shorts. His expression was unreadable - a slight mixture of shock and pleasure.

"I thought it was too cold?" he raised an eyebrow, as if wondering what brought on the sudden change. It was now his turn to be suspicious.

"I'm not going to drown you!" the blonde snapped at the obvious distrust, feeling guilty since he had suspected the raven-haired boy of that in the first place. He searched his mind frantically for a reason... _Any_ reason…

But what could he say? He himself didn't even know why he was agreeing to this!

"You won't beat me you know..." the Uchiha seemed to contemplate thoughtfully for a while, before removing his shorts in one fluid motion.

The blonde went bright pink, and quickly looked away towards the sparkling waters.

"Beat you?" Naruto squeaked in confusion. What the hell?! Why the hell was his voice sounding so high pitched?! He blushed remembering the image of Sasuke's almost naked body… He had such a firm and well-toned torso - it made the blonde feel self conscious about his own...

Maybe it wasn't too late to back down...

"The only reason you wanted to swim was so that we could race... Right?" the heir to the Uchiha clan had almost sounded slightly disappointed, but the blonde was too embarrassed to notice...

"Uh…Yeah…" Naruto answered in a rush, not really listening to what the dark-haired boy was saying. He had to use all his concentration to suppress the blush that was threatening to take over his whole body. Was it possible to glow bright red? The blonde decided he didn't really want to find out…

He didn't know why he was feeling so nervous, so uncomfortable, or why he felt butterflies in his stomach… The effects of the 'sexy-no-jutsu' couldn't last that long could it? Or maybe he was coming down with a cold or something?

Yeah that had to be it. That would explain why he was feeling sweaty, hot and feverish... And it explained why his heart and breathing motions had suddenly decided to act so erratically...

"Hurry up then…" the Uchiha had a hint of impatience to his voice.

"Huh?" Naruto asked dumbly, and turned his head around to gaze at the boxer-clad boy. Then wished he hadn't. He was _sure_ that his face had just turned flashed beet red.

"You're not really going to swim in your clothes are you?" Sasuke enquired, in his _are-you-really-that-stupid-or-are-you-just-trying-to-piss-me-off _tone of voice.

"Course not!" the blonde shouted in embarrassment. Just what the hell was wrong with him? Why was Sasuke making him feel so damn uncomfortable?

He tugged at his clothes a little too forcefully, as he tried to steady his jittery nerves. Yes he was nervous, yes he felt self-conscious… And he had no why idea why, except maybe the possibility that he was coming down with something…

_Gah. He hated being ill._

"What are you looking at?" Naruto muttered and gave the silent boy an evil glare, as he felt black eyes burn a hole into his skin. Why the hell was Sasuke watching him undress? Was he a pervert or something?!

'_Haha... Imagine if Sasuke was a pervert..._' the blonde grinned at his own stupid thought. '_Sakura and Ino would be devastated... Then again, they might start streaking just for the Uchiha...'_ he shuddered at the thought.

Sasuke gave him a look of barely concealed bewilderment before wading into the clear waters.

Naruto breathed heavily, and removed his trousers. He still didn't know what had possessed him to do this… He blamed his spontaneous nature… Then promised himself to never let it loose again…

But what's done is done. No point backing out now…

'_But if I get even more ill than I am now, I will kill him…_' he muttered through clenched teeth.

And so the blonde prepared to wade into to clear lake, after the already swimming raven-haired boy…

_--------------------- End of flashback – Part V ---------------------_

Hinata stroked the blonde locks ever so lightly. She was secretly delighted that his hair was as soft as she had imagined. And so warm…

No matter how the blonde boy was feeling, he _always_ felt so warm…

She ran her hand across his scalp, entwining her fingers within his messy hair, happy in the knowledge that she was able to soothe the trembling boy. His haggard breathing had all but stopped, but he was still breathing rather erratically…

And his eyes were still blank…

_Still frighteningly blank..._

"It's OK, Naruto-kun…" she whispered, and scooted closer to the warm boy. "It's OK…"

And once again she didn't notice the all too familiar presence of the one Uchiha Sasuke… Hiding silently within the dark shadows with eyes full of unconcealed rage…

_Rage fuelled by bitter jealously._

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

End of chapter 7

Naruto: Stay away from me you....you evil woman! Every time I help you ask for reviews, pervert boy here [points to a blushing Sasuke] gets to me!!  
_Uhh... Its not my fault!!_  
Sasuke: N-N-Naruto....  
Naruto: [dangerously] Stay... Away... From.... Me...  
Sasuke: [glowing bright red] B-But you have to look at this...  
Naruto: [eyes closed, arms folded in contempt] Nuh uh. I'm not looking at anything.   
_Ten million fan girls appear with spades, sticks and all sorts of fancy sharp and shiny objects. They all have red eyes. And are holding copies of pictures of Naruto doing the dirty on their precious Uchiha!_  
Sasuke:[desperately] Gah! Run!  
Naruto: [eyes still closed] Nerr...Not moving... Nada-  
_Sasuke grabs Naruto and runs, enraging the fan girls even more...bumps into a tree, falls over, drags Naruto down on top on him, while Naruto straddles his waist with a mixture of shock and confusion...  
_Sasuke groans in pain.  
Fan girls mistake it for a moan of pleasure.  
End results = Naruto in the brink of death.


	8. Before I fall any deeper

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto.  
**Title**: I think I better leave right now - chapter 8**  
Author**: Purrfectly679 - e-mail purrfectly679hotmail.com for comments and suggestions. Feedback highly appreciated.  
**Rating**: R, angst, bad language, slight AU, mild sexual situations. SakuSasu, SasuNaru, HinaNaru...   
**Notes**: No spoilers. This is a revised repost. More flashbacks...

**Previously**: Sasuke is watching Hinata and Naruto from within the shadows...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_--------------------- Flashback – Part VI ---------------------_

The water wasn't as cold as Naruto had originally predicted. It was very cool, but not uncomfortably so.

He dipped his head under the clear waters and gasped, half from the chill and half from the shock of what he saw. The moonlight that managed to penetrate the surface of the lake had created an optical illusion underwater kingdom. Everything seemed to sparkle and glow in the most impressive of ways…

Even the stones that would've normally looked dull and flat seemed to shine with a zest of life… As if they were made out of the frailest of crystals…

_The most precious of gems…_

The blonde glanced around him, feeling completely dazzled, looking for any signs of life, but found none…

Slightly disappointed, he rushed to the surface for some much needed oxygen.

"Hey… Baka…" Sasuke appeared silently beside the smaller boy, causing him to jump in mild surprise. "Race you to that side," the stoic boy continued, and pointed directly towards the opposite bank. It was about 500m away at most.

Naruto grinned, his spirit lifting both from the underwater scene that he had just witnessed and the upcoming contest. He loved competition. "Sure! On the count of three… One… THREE!" the blonde dived deep and began furiously swimming away from the Uchiha.

"Baka, can't even count…" the raven-haired boy muttered, before following suit.

Not surprisingly, the blonde won, but Sasuke accused him of cheating. So they had a rematch, except this time the stoic boy got to count. But Naruto had mischievously decided to start swimming before the count of three, and won the second race as well.

By this time, the raven-haired boy was rather pissed off and splashed water at the blonde as a sign of annoyance. And so sparked a furious water fight between the two.

Naruto didn't know why he was having so much fun. A part of his mind kept telling him that this was wrong. He shouldn't be having fun with his anti-social rival out of all people! He didn't even bother to reflect on the fact that Sasuke was usually the last person in the world that would think of doing something _enjoyable_… Let alone engage in a water fight at goodness knows what hours of the night!

The competition ended when the Uchiha stopped retaliating, much to the blonde's disappointment.

"Ha so you admit defeat?" the blonde exclaimed cockily, as he tried to work a reaction out of the usually cold boy. Then again, it wasn't exactly hard when it came to the rivalry between the two... If there was one thing that Sasuke seemed to hate more than his obsessive fan girls, it was losing to Naruto.

"Defeat from what?" the dark-haired boy drawled, as he lay floating upon his back on the still waters. No matter what he did, he always looked so _damn_ graceful… Naruto casually wondered whether the boy would look _so_ elegant on the bog…

"That I got you more wet!" the blonde revelled happily in his success, shaking images of dark haired boy on the toilet out of his perverse mind.

"How can I get more wet? I'm swimming for god's sake!" Sasuke retorted. Even under the dim moonlight, Naruto could still make out a slight smirk on the fair boy's features.

"Bwah shut up you!" Naruto screeched in defiance, and prepared to swim over to the dark-haired boy just to wipe that smirk off his face... Sasuke sighed exaggeratedly, as if the blonde's action was just a little _too_ predictable…

But before the smaller boy even got the chance to move, strong arms were already encircling his waist.

_Wha…?! _

"I win…" the raven-haired boy whispered huskily, sending unwanted shivers down Naruto's spine.

And before the blonde could even contemplate on exactly _what_ he was feeling, Sasuke pulled himself and the kitsune deep into the clear waters of the magical lake…

_--------------------- End of flashback – Part VI ---------------------_

Naruto felt nothing… Saw nothing… Heard nothing… It was as if he were nothing but a puppet… A puppet who had just been cruelly abandoned by it's owner…

He couldn't move, couldn't think…

Memories rushed back at him faster than a surging river, overwhelming him… Memories he had spent so long trying to suppress, restrain… _forget_…

He didn't sense the girl sitting beside him… He didn't feel her anxiety… Her concern… Her care…

Isn't that what he longed for? Someone who cared?

But he wasn't aware of anything…

He wasn't aware of the soft hand that was softly stroking his hair, the hand that was comforting him with feather soft touches… But he did feel the warmth… He found himself calming to the warmth… So relaxing… His breathing calmed…

But the memories wouldn't stop. The warmth helped with his breathing, but it did nothing to suppress the memories… They wouldn't stop. They just kept coming back.

All transpiring from one source… One person… Sparked from one occurrence…

_The return of the one Uchiha Sasuke._

_--------------------- Flashback – Part VII ---------------------_

Naruto gasped at the air hungrily, filling his lungs with much needed oxygen.

"Sasuke you bastard!" he screamed, even louder than before.... _If_ that was at all possible.

Another splash, followed by another gasp filled the air, as the raven-haired boy broke the surface of the lake, a safe distance away from the obviously irate blonde.

"What the hell were-… _are_ you doing?!" the blonde spluttered angrily, while pointing his index finger at the other boy accusingly. He was too angry to be even remotely surprised at the other boy's actions.

If he had thought about it some more, he would've realised that 'playing pranks' was definitely not an action that the great Uchiha would've ever considered doing… Let alone a prank in the middle of the night, involving a semi-naked Naruto drenched in water… But being blonde and stupid (no pun intended!), Naruto didn't even _consider_ that fact that maybe Sasuke was acting much stranger than usual…

The smaller boy stayed rooted to his side of the lake, refusing to budge in indignation. Or fear… Or a mixture of both… The actions of his rival had just confirmed his earlier suspicions – Sasuke _was_ trying to kill him!

But he couldn't die yet! He was too young to die… He had so much to _do_! Like become Hokage… And there was still so much ramen for him to consume...!

"I won't die that easily…" he muttered, uncertainty wavering in his voice. He was too far away from the raven-haired boy to read his expression accurately, but the blonde guessed that he was probably smirking or sneering at him in contempt… Or both.

"Who said I wanted to kill you?" a warm breath hovered above Naruto's ear, causing the blonde to shriek in horror. How did he-?! How did he manage to get _there_ without making a _single_ sound?! Even if the Uchiha boy moved noiselessly, it didn't mean that he could _make_ the water silent as well…

"Bwahhhh!" Naruto screamed, and turned to face his new and freakier rival, as the waters sloshed noisily around him. He noticed with panic that the raven-haired boy had another new look grace his usually expressionless features…

An expression of… _happiness_?!

Maybe he was happy because he was about to kill the blonde… Most people would probably be happy with the idea… But his eyes… His usually _cold_ and _distant_ eyes… They sparkled with flair, with… life…?

_Sparkled like the stones under the moonlight_…

Naruto stared at him dumbfounded.

_'That's it. I've had enough.'_ Without looking back, the blonde swam to the shore to retrieve his clothes. This situation was just getting _too_ weird, even for him… If he stayed a while longer, he was afraid he might just go insane…

Or kill someone.

Or both.

Best to leave now. Yup yup. Best to leave before this 'new Sasuke' did anything else _totally_ out of character, and scar the poor blonde for life.

-------------------------

When he reached the shore with the rock facing the lake, he hurried over to the spot where he had left his clothes…

To find that they weren't there…

"Sasuke you bastard!! This isn't funny!!" Naruto shouted with incense, not caring that his sudden outburst was totally ruining the mystical atmosphere of the lake.

The raven-haired boy swam slowly towards the shore, but decided to stay in the waters. He didn't say anything, but wore his _what-the-hell-are-you-talking-about-now-dobe?_ expression.

"Fine… fine…" the blonde threw up his arms in defeat. "You've won! Ok? Now give me my clothes back!" he gazed helplessly at the raven-haired boy, still immersed in the clear waters.

"I don't have your clothes…" came the slightly confused reply.

Naruto sighed. He was expecting this. What he didn't expect was for the sole survivor of the Uchiha clan to suddenly get a sense of humour. Out of all of the times that it could've happened, why now?! Why here?!

He must have indigestion or something…

The blonde recalled reading somewhere (yes he could read) that mild indigestion could cause memory lapses or temporary changes in personas… Maybe this was one of those occasions?

The blonde decided that if there was a god, then he was a very cruel one.

"Uhh… You know what? Whatever! Cos I don't care!" Naruto pouted, and narrowed his eyes petulantly towards the dark-haired boy, as he crossed his arms haughtily.

Sasuke continued to look adorably confused.

Suddenly light seemed to flash within the blue eyes of the blonde, as if a light bulb had just suddenly ignited in that obscure brain of his.

Was it… Could it…_Could it be a plan?!_

"Hey Sasuke?" he enquired, inching closer and closer back towards the edge of the lake. There was no reply, but Naruto knew that the stoic boy was listening. "Lets have another race-"

"No."

"Why not?" the blonde huffed, slightly annoyed that he had been interrupted.

"Cos you cheat."

"OK I promise not to cheat…"

No reply.

"And look, if you win… I'll… I'll stop bothering Sakura!" Naruto feigned mock distress and lowered his head. The truth was, his obsession with the pink-haired girl had been recently dwindling… He didn't know why… At one point in his life, he would've done anything for her… Given everything to her… But now, he didn't see her as anything more than a teammate... A shame really… But he guessed that was what people meant by growing out of 'childhood crushes…'

But no one needed to know about his fading fixation! After all, the blonde liked to ask her out now and again just to piss her off…. She was certainly running out of good excuses now!! Not that they were ever _good_ in the first place… And he had the bumps on the head to prove it…

Ahhh the joys of making people squirm!

"Why would I care whether you left Sakura alone?" the raven-haired boy asked in a monotone.

Naruto looked at him right in the eye, and spoke from his heart. "Because it's obvious she likes you. And I know you'll like her too if you gave her the chance… It's obvious you two are going to end up together…"

The blonde hadn't really meant for his words to come out that way, but now that he thought about it, it did make sense… The strongest boy in the village with the brightest girl... Together. A match made in heaven…

_Little did he know just how right he was…_

"I don't like Sakura." Sasuke's voice resumed its usual iciness, causing the smaller boy to wince outwardly. Why the hell was he being so cold for? Shouldn't he be honoured that Naruto was _almost_ giving up the love of his life for him? Its not easy saying that that the one person you had loved for so many years would be _perfect_ for somebody else…

Especially when that somebody else was your archrival!

"Why the hell not?" the blonde asked angrily, his emotions blatantly visible within his blue eyes. "She's perfect! She's smart, she's pretty… She's in love with you…" he trailed off to a whisper, a little envy apparent within his voice.

"I just don't think that way about her. That's all." The raven-haired boy's reply was short, curt and to the point.

"Who do you like then?" Naruto asked, a little curiously. The blonde realised that this was probably one of the first proper conversations that the two have ever shared. And the first conversation without the insults 'dobe' and 'bastard' thrown in every other sentence...

He also realised, albeit rather disturbingly, that although he had spent a lot time with the Uchiha, he knew next to nothing about his life outside the shinobi world… Such as what did he like? What did he dislike? What type of girls did he go for? What did he do in his spare time? (apart from training of course)

Naruto found his inquisitiveness building, wanting to know the answers to these questions…

Which scared him quite a lot.

"Who I like is none of your business," came the curt reply.

It took this new bit of information about 5 seconds to sink into the blonde's mind. "So you _do _like someone!" Naruto exclaimed, as he grinned his big fox-like grin in glee. Well… It wasn't _totally_ unfeasible… After all, _every_ teenage boy would obviously have a crush or affection of some sort towards another girl...

Yet since this was the cold, emotionless Uchiha Sasuke that they were talking about, it still kinda bewildered the blonde-haired boy…

_Sasuke actually liked someone!_ And it _wasn't_ Sakura? Then... Then who the hell could it be?!

"Ok ok I know! Lets have that race-"

"I said I don't care about Sakura."

"Let me finish!" the blonde shouted in annoyance.

The raven-haired boy remained silent, expression unreadable.

"Ok if I win, you have to tell me who you like…"

The Uchiha raised an eyebrow as Naruto paused. "And if you lose?"

"I'll tell you who I like!" the smaller boy grinned happily.

Sasuke grunted in response. "I already know you like Sakura."

"Noo…" the blonde quickly climbed back into the lake, as goose pimples began to develop upon the surface of his skin. He was a little surprised that it seemed warmer in the waters than out on land. Then again, maybe that had something to do with the raven-haired boy crouching almost next to him…

"I like someone else now... But I haven't told anyone cos its like, a _big_ secret..." Naruto emphasised the word big, as he tried to persuade Sasuke into accepting the swimming bet. He just hoped that the raven-haired boy didn't notice that he was lying through his teeth…

After all, getting Sasuke to swim, preferably as far away as possible, was vital to his up and coming plan...

"I don't care about who you like."

"_Sasuke_..." the blonde whined pitifully in annoyance. The mission was becoming harder and harder to accomplish. "Fine, if I lose, I'll... I'll stop bugging you for a whole week!"

The raven-haired boy seemed to contemplate this development rather seriously. Naruto could almost make out the clockwork ticking animatedly in his brain. _Tick, tick, tick…_Not that he was surprised at the other boy's actual consideration... Hell, even the blonde annoyed himself sometimes!!

But he had to admit... It did kinda hurt...

Just a little.

"Too vague."

Naruto brightened up in glee as he detected a hint of hesitation in the stoic boy's voice... It seemed as if the Uchiha boy was finally cracking!

"I won't try to force you to eat ramen... Er... I won't call you names... I won't put grass in your hair when you're not looking, nor put mud into your bento-"

"What?!" interrupted a incredulous raven-haired boy. If it weren't for the situation and upcoming plan, Naruto would've laughed out loud at the comical expression upon the usually impassive face…

"AND I won't moan when you beat me..." the blonde rushed his words to try and distract the Uchiha's attention.

It worked. Sasuke seemed to seriously deliberate over the offer.

"I don't get it..." he finally frowned, albeit suspiciously after a moment or two. "What's in it for you?"

"I really want to know who you like!" the blonde exclaimed furiously, not realising that his over-enthusiasm was making him appear even more conspicuous. It only a semi-lie to be honest – even though the blonde hated to admit it, a small part of him… A _tiny_ part of him was just maybe _slightly_ curious about the type of girl that the dark-haired youth went for…

He couldn't _really_ be emotionless all the time… Could he??

"Why do you care about who I like?" the heir to the Uchiha clan suddenly blurted out. He immediately looked away, as if he regretted asking the question.

Naruto paused in thought. Why did he care? Maybe he was just curious... After all, whoever managed to capture the raven-haired boy's attention must be a very special girl... Or maybe she was a princess!

"Everyone wants to know about the great Sasuke," the blonde teased. It was a lame excuse yes, but you try coming up with a good excuse when half naked and crouching in a cold and uncomfortable position next to your archrival… But Naruto soon realised that what he had said, although rather ironically, was probably true...

Throughout his life in the village, it had always been Sasuke this, Sasuke that… _Sasuke number one rookie… Isn't Sasuke cute?!… Aiii Sasuke honto honto KAWAII ne?!… Sasuke's soo strong…_ He had the attention, the admirers, the respect…

And yet for some strange reason, he didn't seem to _enjoy_ it. He never seemed to acknowledge it… Never smiled, never once visibly revelled in his success… He just never seemed to realise that he was living up to people's high expectations and breaking them along the way…

The blonde guessed that some people will just never appreciate what they have until its gone…

"Fine."

Naruto looked up in shock, into the determined dark eyes of his rival. They were so hard to read, but the blonde could almost detect a hint of finalisation in them... But since it was dark, the small boy dismissed the look almost immediately.

Anyway, he was way too shocked to think about anything else at the present time. Sasuke had _agreed_?! And Naruto was so _sure_ that his plan had been ruined from the moment he opened his big mouth...

"Ok, first one to the bank wins!" the blonde shouted triumphantly, as if he had already prevailed. Sasuke was falling for his plan! Things were finally looking up!! He was _finally_ going to make the great Uchiha look stupid! Woo hoo!

He pushed back a slight feeling of guilt as an image of the contemplating raven-haired boy came back to haunt him...

_Such sad eyes... _

'_Naruto you fool!_' even his conscience decided to suddenly yell at him. '_This is the first decent moment you've ever shared with the anti-social boy, cos for some bizarre reason he's decided to ACT human, and now you're going to ruin it all in the blink of an eye?! He'll never trust you again!'_

_'But he started it!'_ the blonde silently argued back, his brows twitching furiously. '_It's only an act of revenge!'_

This little internal struggle didn't go unnoticed.

"Stop arguing with yourself, dobe," came the bored sounding remark.

Naruto's jaw dropped.

"How did-" the blonde stared at the boy genius, dumbfounded, wondering whether having the sharingan DID mean that you had some uncanny ability to read minds...

"Can we get this over and done with, it's getting rather cold..." the raven-haired boy continued to drawl.

For once in his life, Naruto didn't comment on the other boy's stuck up attitude. He bit down hard on his lower lip, compressing the raging feelings deep down inside… He couldn't afford ruining his plan now! Not when he was so close...!

"Sure..." the blonde mumbled dumbly, deciding that less was more.

He couldn't trust himself to say anymore anyway…

The two boys started the race once Sasuke had counted to three. This time, Naruto held true to his word, and only started to swim after the Uchiha boy himself had initiated the first plunge into the cold waters.

Naruto swam the first 20 metres head to head with the stoic boy, then deliberately started to slow down, so that the raven-haired boy would get the impression that he was lagging behind. About 25% of the way through the length of the race, when the stoic boy was about 10 metres ahead of the blonde, Naruto did the unthinkable.

He stopped swimming, did a 180 degrees turn, and swam furiously back to shore.

He grinned in glee as he rushed to the spot where Sasuke had left his clothes.

Yup. His mission involved stealing…

And it finally worked!!!

While subconsciously patting himself on the back for managing to fulfill his marvellous plan, the blonde quickly grabbed the blue shirt off the ground that belonged to the Uchiha . For some reason, the shirt was still clean and crease free, even though it had been originally crumpled up amongst the dirt and leaves.

'_Ugh, even his clothes are freaky..._' the kitsune mumbled to himself, while shuddering in trepidation. Normally he wouldn't be caught dead wearing his rival's clothes, but some situations were just too desperate to ignore. Like the current circumstance he was in… He just hoped that he wouldn't bump into someone he knew on the way home...

Especially Kakashi... Ugh... He could imagine it now…

_"Ooh Naruto-kun! What are you doing in Sasuke-kun's clothing? You two been doing things you shouldn't have?? Tut tut… Tell Sasuke to be a little more gentle next time…It's not very economical if he keeps ripping your clothes in the process…" _

The blonde blushed a bright shade of red at the thought. His sensei was such a pervert…

Naruto slipped the cool shirt over his still wet hair, as the unique scent of Uchiha Sasuke wrapped around him. He hated to admit it, but the raven-haired boy did smell pretty damn good...

Maybe a little _too_ damn good…

The clothes were slightly too big, but they would do. As long as he managed to get home without getting arrested for indecent exposure... That's all that mattered right?!

The blonde grinned in triumph as he searched around for the stoic boy's trousers... Now where were they? They had to around here somewhere...

Caught up in his rummaging, the kitsune didn't notice the presence behind him… He didn't notice the stoic boy until they were only millimetres apart…

Until he could feel the other's breath on the crook of his neck, immediately flooding his body with a burst of warmth...

"…You know…If you had wanted to get into my pants, you could've just asked…" came the husky whisper…

_--------------------- End of flashback – Part VII ---------------------_

Naruto continued to sit there, more silent than he has ever been in his whole entire life, as torrents of memories rushed back at him... Memories that hurt so _much_... Memories that he'd rather forget... Memories he almost _did _forget…

Yet throughout the pain, he still managed to feel warmth... The comforting warmth that seemed to sit beside him... That seemed to envelope him...

It was kind of comforting in a way… That the warmth was the complete opposite of the one person that ravaged his thoughts… The blatant contradiction provided the blonde some reassurance… That time had moved on… Things had changed…

_People changed. _

The warmth didn't stop the memories... Didn't stop the pain... Nor did it block out the tearing agony within the blonde's heart... Yet it did make the pain so much more bearable... Little by little... Breath by breath...

Naruto felt himself holding on to this source of heat... As if he needed it... As if his existence depended on it...

_As if needing it to melt the iciness… As if needing it to melt away the prolonged effects of the Uchiha heir._

The blonde embraced the warmth closer, not wanting to let it go... Never letting go... All he knew was that he wasn't alone.

He finally wasn't alone.

And maybe, just _maybe_... Maybe he could start trusting again…

_And maybe he could count on someone after all..._

------------------------------

They didn't hear the growl. Nor did they see the scowl that flitted across the delicate features of the dark-haired boy…

They didn't see the unconcealed pain that was so visibly etched across the ebony eyes of the taller man… That icy mask finally slipping off… Leaving him looking so vulnerable… So fragile… So frail…

They didn't sense the hurt… The bitter feelings of betrayal… The pain…

The evident pain that was enough to rival even the blonde's.

They didn't see how all the emotions were so quickly gathered, kept under control… Mask firmly back in place… His handsome face resuming his trademark expressionless appearance…

But still… There was one thing unchanged… One thing he _couldn't _hide… Something that even the _great Sasuke_ couldn't hide…

Those dark black eyes… Those windows to the soul...

But instead of pain flashing from deep within the pupils, it was now replaced by rage.

Rage and envy.

And maybe no one was perfect after all.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

End of chapter 8

I'm sorry for being so slow... But I need to explain things properly etc... Hey at least your getting _some_ interaction between the two (Sasuke so sexy when he talks dirty...get into his pants eh eh eh!) The next chapter is where all the fun starts

_Meanwhile... Naruto is in hospital, with a pissed off Sasuke sitting in the visitor's chair...  
_Sasuke: [mutters] Don't you dare think that I want to be here! This is all your stupid fault! You should've run when u had the chance...  
Naruto: [snores loudly] Zzzz....  
Sasuke: [mutters] Stupid dobe, makes a lot of noise even when he's unconscious...  
_Suddenly (yes suddenly - bad things always happen suddenly ne?!) a very old and grouchy nurse appears.   
_NURSE: [screeches] What are you doing here?! Where's your uniform! And that hair of yours! Where's your hat? Come on, don't just sit there! Are you a newbie? You must be a newbie! One of those interns right? Don't you know the rules around here?!  
_Head nurse grabs a shocked Sasuke by the wrist and leads him into another room. Did I mention that the nurse was deaf and blind?  
_NURSE: [impatiently] Hurry up hurry up! Get dressed! We can't have you looking like that...  
Sasuke: [stammering] But I'm not...  
NURSE: [screams] Arghh you're so slow! Let me help you!  
_Nurse grabs Sasuke, and rips his clothes off... _

_(nooo.... none of that kinky nurse with Sasuke stuff! tut tut, dirty reviewer's imaginations...)_

_... then throws on a nurses uniform upon the poor hyperventilating boy - complete with white hat, short skirt and stockings. (don't ask how they got put on)  
_NURSE: [squints] There you go! Perfect! Now get back to work!  
_Nurse grabs the poor boy, and flings him into Naruto's room with super human strength. Then she storms off.  
Sasuke meanwhile loses his footing from the unexpected throw, and ends up collapsing... On top of a bed... Naruto's bed... His head against Naruto's neck and his legs somehow entwined with the blonde's...  
_Naruto: [wakes up] Arghhhhh! [looks at Sasuke] Why such an ugly nurse?!  
_Sasuke knocks the blonde boy out to stop his screaming. Naruto groans.  
_Kakashi: [appears with a poof] Wahhhhhhhh mouth drops This is better than I thought! [frantically snaps away with his camera] Sasuke you dirty boy you! I didn't know you liked to play dirty kinky nurse games... [wink]  
_Naruto groans again, loudly this time.  
_Kakashi: [nosebleed and drools] I guess he's enjoying it...   
_Kakashi disappears before Sasuke could retaliate. Sasuke screams on the verge of insanity._

Thanks for reading

And mail me if you would like to join the mailing list purrfectly679hotmail.com


	9. Getting weaker, and weaker

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto. Nor Sasuke... cries  
**Title**: I think I better leave right now - chapter 9**  
Author**: Purrfectly679 - e-mail purrfectly679hotmail.com for comments and suggestions. Feedback highly appreciated.  
**Rating**: R, angst, bad language, lime, yaoi. SakuSasu, SasuNaru, ShikaIno, HinaNaru  
**Notes**: No spoilers. This is a revised repost. Last of the flashbacks.

**Previously**: _flashback_ - Naruto is trying to escape a 'strange' Sasuke...

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_--------------------- Flashback – Part VIII ---------------------_

_"You know... If you wanted to get into my pants, you could've just asked..." _

Naruto froze in his tracks as the warm whispered breath tickled his neck, causing his hairs to stand on end.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the _only_ thing that stood on end… His body had once again decided to act in the most inappropriate of ways, at the most inappropriate of times…

The blonde panicked as he jumped away his probably irate teammate. Gah! Trust his plan to go so so SO wrong! He was meant to be out of here by now!! Bwah!! Damn procrastination! And damn Sasuke and his sexy voice…

Bwah! Did he just think _ Sasuke_ and _ sexy_ in the same sentence?!

He fervently prayed that it was too dark for the raven-haired boy to see his _ little_ problem… And the blush that was threatening to consume his whole body… Sasuke would probably be so disgusted with him that he'd never speak to him again… And then he'd have to start to avoiding him and things won't _ ever_ be the same again…

Naruto cringed inwardly. Damn the effects of the sexy-no-jutsu! And damn his stupid backfiring plan!

"You going to tell me what you're doing?" came the inevitable question. The raven-haired boy had sounded almost amused, which scared the living daylights out of the blonde. Maybe Sasuke was only toying with him… Messing with his thoughts before he killed him! Bwahhh! Naruto hated torture more than anything… Torture was _evil_….! Torture was _baddd_!!

Then again… Torture wasn't _that_ bad if it involved him being tied up and whipped…

_Arghhh! Inhumane thoughts! Nuiiiiii! Must... Eliminate..._

"It's only revenge!" Naruto retorted angrily, eyes still downcast and focussed upon the floor. Think of chess! Think of go! Think of _anything_ non-sexual that would lessen his _ little_ problem down there…

And for god's sake stop thinking of whips and chains!

"Revenge for what?" There was a hint of exasperation in the tone of the other boy's voice.

"You took my clothes first!" Naruto flared up in anger, and glared fiercely at the stoic boy. That's right! He had a reason to be angry! He shouldn't feel guilty… After all, none of this would've happened if the dark-haired boy hadn't taken his clothes in the first place…

This was all Sasuke's fault!

"I didn't take your things," came the curt reply.

The blonde scrutinised the raven-haired boy carefully, whose expression had resumed its normal blank look. He couldn't _actually_ tell whether the boy was telling lying or not… But then again, it _had_ to be him! No one else was around, and his clothes couldn't exactly _run_ off on their own…

"Yes you did! My clothes were here, and now they're not! Explain that!" Naruto decided to follow his instincts. Who did Sasuke think he was?! Lying so calmly like that!

"And when would I have taken your clothes?" the Uchiha answered patiently, as if talking to an extremely small and extremely petulant child.

"When we… were… you…" Naruto's initial shout trailed off into an incoherent mumble… When exactly DID the dark-haired boy steal his clothes anyway? They had been swimming all this time, and he couldn't recall Sasuke _ever_ leaving the waters… _ Until now that is…_

"Well where else could they have gone?" came the blunt but not very smart reply. Even though the dark-haired boy didn't _appear_ to leave the lake, Naruto was still convinced that he had _something_ to do with his missing clothes… Anyway, the blonde _hated_ to admit he was wrong…

So he wasn't going to.

"I don't know… Maybe animals took it away! We _are_ in a forest you know…" the usually cold boy seemed frustrated at being asked such a stupid question.

Blue eyes widened in shock.

"Wahhh then what am I going to do?!" the blonde rushed around in a frenzy, waving his arms in the air like a lunatic, seemingly forgetting about the little tent appearing from within his boxers.

"Firstly, you're going to give me my clothes back."

"Nuiiii! I can't go back to the village like this! I'll get arrested!" Naruto continued to shout, pupils dilating madly. Images of being forced into a smelly cramped prison with big hairy men filled his troubled mind. That did it. His body was reacting to the unpleasant thoughts, and slowly lowering itself…

"Calm down."

"Or Kakashi-sensei will somehow see me and take the piss out of me… And he might even take-"

"Calm down."

"-pictures and show everyone, then everyone will laugh at me like Sakura, and Iruka-sensei and Ino and Shika-"

"CALM DOWN!" the stoic boy finally lost his cool.

Naruto's nervous babbling immediately came to a halt. Eep.

_'Sasuke's so sexy when he takes control… He's so dominant and -'_

Naruto screamed and grabbed his head, physically shaking the thoughts out of his troubled mind. His body took this little opportunity to act _up_ again…

"Look, I'll go home and get you some clothes… And I'll come back in about an hour at the most… You wait here. Ok?"

Naruto contemplated the idea seriously.

"Can you go without your shirt?" he asked timidly, subconsciously wrapping the blue garment tighter around his body.

"And why would I suddenly decide to go topless into the village?" came the bored-sounding reply.

"Cos I'm cold…" Naruto blushed, as he realised that he had just sounded like the biggest idiot ever to roam the planet. Sasuke going topless into the village was worse than a death sentence involving rabid dinosaurs. Yes he'd be sexy… But dangerous nevertheless. Never _ever_ underestimate the power of rabid fan-girls…

And Naruto was living proof of that fact. (ahem when he kissed Sasuke)

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The Uchiha boy took two steps closer to the blonde, almost uncertainly, as Naruto's blue eyes widened in trepidation. What was he going to do now? Arghh did he do something stupid again? Ehh…Maybe he was going to hit him for even _thinking_ about stealing his clothes…

Bleh… Although he did _ kinda_ deserve it…

Naruto's mind raced unevenly. Or _maybe_ he was gonna rip that blue shirt off his bare body, and just go home! Leaving him all alone and practically naked in the middle of a forest… With no way of getting back to the village without being arrested…

But the dark-haired boy wouldn't do that would he?! No one would be as cruel as to leave another person out here, freezing their butt off… In this cold weather… With nothing but a pair of wet boxers…

'_That's what you was about to do!'_ the blonde's conscience argued, as Naruto pushed down an overwhelming wave of guilt. OK maybe he deserved it a lot! But just because he _did_ deserve it, it didn't mean that the Uchiha was going to do it… Right?…Right?!

Gah he hated this new unpredictable Sasuke…!

"W-What are you doing?!" Naruto inched away cautiously, too scared to be angry with himself for stuttering. Sure he was being a gimp, but now was no time to play Mr cool! He had seriously contemplated running away with the stoic boy's shirt right then... After all, he could creep into the village at night...! Yep yep! When everyone was sleeping... And maybe no one will _ ever_ have to know that he had no trousers on... After all, which weirdoes walked the streets past 12 midnight?! He'd be fine… And if anyone saw him, he'd just pretend he was sleepwalking!

_'That's right! Great plan Naruto!'_

The blonde sighed glumly. That had sounded pathetic, even to his own ears...

The consequences of stealing the great Sasuke's possessions and actually _running away _with them would be atrocious, and he knew that... Not only did he have to face the wrath of the _ don't-touch-me-I-keep-myself-to-myself_ stoic Uchiha, he would also have mad Sasuke admirers after his blood... And he wanted to keep his blood inside his body - where it belonged - thank you very much… He gulped nervously at the thought, unaware that his raging emotions were clearly visible to anyone who looked into his blue eyes...

Meanwhile, the boy in question seemed to realise the blonde's discomfort, but did nothing to elevate it. In actual fact, the stoic boy did the unimaginable, and inched even closer to the nervous kitsune, who was eerily looking more and more like a caged wild animal...

"W-what do you want?" Naruto asked stupidly, clutching the blue shirt tighter against his torso. It was getting rather chilly now, and the blonde started to wonder whether the raven-haired boy was human after all... Any normal person would've started to shiver uncontrollably by now, yet there he was, standing semi naked in the path of the winds, with wet hair AND moisture on his skin, and still he wasn't even flinching!!

Arghh - maybe he _was_ cold blooded!!

Naruto idly thought about running away again. It looked inevitable that he was going to die by the hands of the Uchiha anyway, so why not delay it for a couple more hours? After all, he would very much prefer to die in the comforts of his own home, compared to the rather rash cold that had suddenly decided to make an appearance...

But nothing happened. Sasuke stopped moving at about an arms length away from the terrified blonde. The usual arrogant expression was replaced by something that looked morbidly like amusement... What the hell! Did the stoic boy actually _enjoy_ watching him squirm?!

The winds began to pick up speed, brushing against Naruto's bare legs, making him realise _just_ how cold it was getting...

Cold sweat seemed to be forming upon the tip of the smaller boy's nose…

Then all of a sudden, something within just seemed to snap. Without warning, the blonde shinobi just... bolted! He _just_ ran away from the edge of the lake, which all in all, if Naruto had _bothered_ to think about it through properly, he would've realised that it was a very stupid thing to do...

A very_, very_ stupid thing to do...

_--------------------- End of flashback – Part VIII ---------------------_

Hinata found herself speechless for what seemed like the 100th time that day... Sure it wasn't rare for the normally silent girl to be flabbergasted, but at this rate, things were starting to get a _ little_ bit ridiculous…

Seeing the blonde haired boy in such a vulnerable state had somehow made her feel much more confident... To know that he was human after all... That he had feelings... That he _ too_ felt pain...

That he wasn't indestructible after all...

The dark-haired girl still didn't know how it had happened... One minute she was trying to comfort the trembling boy beside her, by stroking his feather-soft blonde hair, and the next she was suddenly in his arms, encased in a fierce hug that felt as if it would never end...

Such a sense of pain... Of raw need... He needed her, and yet it broke her heart...

'_Do you even know what you're doing to me?_' she silently wondered, as thoughts of the mysterious dark-haired person filled the depths of her mind... She felt a sudden surge of jealously within her, followed by immense hate. How dare she! How dare anyone hurt the kitsune like that?! To put him through so much suffering...

Bitter rage built up within the smaller girl, surprising even herself with her substantial capacity for such a negative emotion... How dare that girl cause so much pain for the one person she cherished more than anything… How dare she hurt the one she loved!

'_I'm sorry Naruto-kun...'_ she silently wept. _ 'I'm sorry that you have to suffer like this...'_

_'Please don't hurt... Please don't hurt anymore...'_

_--------------------- Flashback – Part IX ---------------------_

Twigs snapped under the bare feet of the blonde boy, as he attempted to escape from the haunting place beside the lake. He knew he shouldn't be running away, but hell! Sasuke was just being too scary! Forget his pride! Some things were just more important... Like his life for example!!

Who knew what an unpredictable anti-social psycho-maniac could accomplish when he put his mind to it?!

The blonde continued to run ahead blindly - he didn't have a clue to where he was heading. He knew he couldn't return to the village in this state... Not with Sasuke's clothes on!! Could he? Maybe he'll just hide somewhere until dawn, until the raven-haired boy reverted back to normal... Indigestion, or whatever caused his changing personality should be over by then... Shouldn't it??

Naruto fervently prayed that this lapse in persona was only temporary... He wasn't sure whether he could handle being on the same team with an unpredictable Sasuke…

Especially if it did _unwanted_ and uncontrollable things to his body…

He wrapped the blue shirt tighter around his bare torso, shivering half from the cold, and half from the memories of his archrival. Why the hell had he looked so damn amused?! And why the fuck was he standing so close for?!

_Yet why couldn't he stand just a little closer…? _

The blonde shinobi shivered again. When the hell did he start to have such perverted thoughts? And when the hell did it decide to get so cold anyway?! Arghh everything was just going _ wrong, wrong, wrong..._

How did something that was originally meant to be an apology, now involve him running around half-naked, clad in nothing but the nice smelling shirt of the Uchiha heir?!

The blonde continued running, remembering how Sasuke had made him feel really nervous and uncomfortable... Strangely nervous and uncomfortable... He ran harder, trying to forget the fact that the usually silent boy had also made his face hot, body sweaty and breathing rather erratic...

And made his body react in the _wrongest_ of ways… He wasn't meant to get aroused near his teammate, let alone a _male_ teammate for god's sake! His original theory, which blamed it _all_ on the sexy-no-jutsu, was starting to sound rather pathetic, even to his own ears… After all, none of those perverted thoughts or corrupted arousals had ever happened when he had used the jutsu before… So why would it start now?!

And let's not get started on the kitsune's poor heart - the poor heart that had to run a marathon every time those dark eyes were upon him… The poor heart that skipped beats for reasons _ still_ unknown to the blonde...

It couldn't be that he had a fever either... After all, it wasn't as if he _felt_ ill... And he was sure you weren't _meant_ to feel horny while ill… So if it wasn't the jutsu, and it wasn't his physical health, then _ why_ did he feel all those things that he wasn't meant to feel?!

Ah ha! Maybe it was the atmosphere! It was so beautiful… It had enticed him! That was it! Just the atmosphere and _ nothing_ else…

Naruto pushed back a sense of guilt as the scent of his rival once again engulfed his senses... The hyperactive leaf-nin never did make a habit of pitying others, let alone his archrival, but leaving him in the cold like that... Even the blonde had to admit that it was a bit harsh...

Especially since _ he_ was the one that took the other boy's clothing...

'_Bleh he deserved it!_' Naruto's conscience tried to defend itself. None of this would've happened if it weren't for that stupid moron! Grr how he hated him! His superior smirk, the way he was so calm, so collected… So aloof… he hated his hair, his cold expressionless eyes…. The way he smelled…

Naruto felt his crotch twitch again, then wondered what on earth had he done wrong to deserve all this…

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Suddenly, without any warning, the blonde boy was thrown off his feet rather violently. He didn't have time to think nor yell, as he landed face first into the ground. Luckily it was around early spring, so the grass was reasonably thick enough to protect him from any sudden or rough impacts. About 2 seconds later, he felt a heavy weight settle on top of him, sitting on his lower back, rendering him immobile upon the floor…

He couldn't even move an inch.

"Now maybe you won't run away this time…" the voice whispered huskily, sending another batch of unwanted shivers down the smaller boy's spine. The blonde wanted to get angry, wanted to curse the stupid boy for sitting on him, but all his mind could concentrate on was just how close they were… How warm he was…How he could feel the stoic's boys legs, wrapped around his torso oh so possessively…

His blue eyes widened in horror as he once again felt himself harden in excitement…

"I wasn't… running away…" he mumbled weakly, fervently praying that the boy wouldn't suddenly decide to flip him over… He couldn't let Sasuke see him like this! With…_that…_How could he explain himself?! How could he explain something that he himself didn't even understand?!

The raven-haired boy would be so sickened… Repulsed … He'd be disgusted … Hell the blonde was disgusted with himself. Disgusted that he couldn't control his own body… Not even when near another _boy_…

"You wasn't running away? Then what _was_ you doing, Naruto?" the voice was silky, teasing.

The blonde squirmed, not enjoying the way his body reacted when the boy had uttered his name. There was no doubt about it now – even though he probably wouldn't admit it to himself in a million years… The truth was - he was getting turned on by Uchiha Sasuke…

And that wasn't good…

That wasn't good at all…

"I was… er…t-trying to f-find…my clothes…" Naruto stammered, as he unsuccessfully tried to break free under the weight of the taller boy… Sasuke's legs dug into the back of his kneecaps, pinning him securely upon the ground… His arms were also grasped tightly in an awkward position behind his back… It wasn't painful, no, but it was very _ very_ uncomfortable… So uncomfortable, in fact, that it made the blonde think twice about attempting to break free… When did the other boy get such a strong grip anyway?!

Apprehension dawned on Naruto's face as he realised that he was under the _ complete_ mercy of the raven-haired boy.

"Nuh uh, Naruto-kun…" Sasuke's voice held a hint of amusement in it, and Naruto squirmed again at the mere mention of his name. And when did his rival start calling him by the name of Naruto-_kun_?! And _why_ did he have to say it so seductively?!

Argh did he just think that Sasuke was _seductive_?!

"I said you weren't getting away…"

The blue eyes widened animatedly, as a rush of hot air hit the back of his neck. His heart picked up speed, banging almost painfully against his rib cage. Was Sasuke- Was he?! What the _hell_ was he doing?!

The Uchiha heir decided to lean forward, resting his bare torso flush against the smaller boy, so that his lips were a mere two millimetres above the blonde's neck… But his strong legs remained in the same position, and his hands never did let go of the other's arms… So that in the end, Naruto was still rendered completely motionless…

Except now his sensitive skin was suffering under the hot breath of the dark-haired boy…

'_Sasuke…What are you doing to me?!_' Naruto thought silently, as a flood of confusing emotions ran through his body. Why was the raven-haired boy was acting so damn weird…? What the hell was he doing anyway? Sitting on him like that? Did he really get a kick out of torturing people? Playing with their minds before he killed them?

Gah, and why didn't anyone warn him to _never_ _ever_ steal anti-social psycho maniac's possessions?!

Naruto _should've_ been scared... He should've been terrified... But… He wasn't. Instead, his mind decided to concentrate on the delicious warmth that the stoic boy was emitting… The delicious sound of his name on his fair lips… The way that his naked chest was pressed up oh so close to him… The way that his long bare legs that were wrapped around him, tying him up… Making him feel so vulnerable… So damn _sexy _and vulnerable…

The blonde's face burned a bright shade of red, as he realised _ just_ what he had been imagining. What the hell?! When did he start to get thoughts like that?! He _ never_ had them before…! Not even with Sakura or _ anything_…! Was something wrong with him? Did Kakashi somehow poison his mind?! Arghh today was just getting weirder and _ weirder_…

Suddenly, Naruto gasped loudly, snapping himself out of his confused thoughts and back to the present situation… He felt something searing hot run against the nape of his neck… Was that- Was that _Sasuke_?! What the fuck was happening now?! Was – Was Sasuke _licking_ him?

"Arghh… What are you doing?" the blonde panicked and cried out. This wasn't meant to happen! Sasuke was a guy! Guys shouldn't lick other guy's necks! Arghh just what the _hell_ was the Uchiha thinking?!

"This is…so…ughh…" Naruto's cries of protest died down quickly as he felt his body reacting to the touch… To the warm kiss… It felt as if his whole body was on fire… He involuntarily relaxed as a low moan emitted from the depths of his throat...

Sasuke seemed to take this as a sign of encouragement, and tilted his mouth at an angle, so that it rested against the side of the blonde's neck, just above the collarbone. He began to work his magic upon that exposed strip of skin, sucking hungrily, his tongue massaging almost desperately…

The blonde writhed helplessly under the strong hold of the Uchiha boy, as all thoughts of rivalry and common sense escaped him. To be honest, he never had much common sense to begin with, but of what rational thoughts he had, he still knew that whatever they were doing was wrong… Very wrong.

Especially for two boys.

He felt himself being flipped over, the raven-haired boy's head resuming its position upon his neck, devouring the skin almost hungrily. Naruto whimpered pitifully as he realised that his limbs were still securely pinned down on either side of him. The smaller boy tried to squirm, to break free, but the Uchiha was just _ too_ strong…

Oh well, at least in this position, Sasuke couldn't feel that his _buddy_ had decided to play _up_ again…

All he could do was struggle uselessly under the weight of his rival, as onslaught after onslaughts of pleasure wracked fervently through his body. He never knew that his neck could be such a sensitive place… Another load moan erupted from his throat before he could prevent it, as he began to pant eagerly, trying to fill his lungs with much needed oxygen…

But all this seemed to accomplish was to make the stoic boy a little more confident. Sasuke began to move his arms, inching them around at an angle. Just when Naruto thought he could get free, the stoic boy repined his arms to the ground, this time with his elbows. This left his proficient pair of hands free, which began to roam relentlessly down the torso of the blonde, causing small whimpers here and there. The paler boy's long slender fingers began to undo the buttons of his blue shirt, surprisingly steady and accurate for someone who still had his head buried within a certain blonde's neck...

Incoherent thoughts whizzed through Naruto's mind while this process happening. A tiny voice in the back of his head told him to stop! _Stop now before things could get out of hand… You'll regret this in the long run!_ This small cry was soon overpowered by louder cries, wants, desires… Desires of wanting more, feeling more…_needing_ more…

Finally the last button had been removed, and Sasuke stopped his intense torment upon the blonde's neck. Harsh and ragged breathing filled the ominous silence between the two.

'_Why did you stop?_' was Naruto's first articulate thought, although the enquiry never did make it to his lips.

The sole survivor of the Uchiha clan seemed to contemplate the situation for a moment. He gazed into the blonde's glazed eyes, and all Naruto could do was stare back. His brain had all but ceased to function, except for one silent voice…

_'Why did you stop?'_

The raven-haired boy shifted slightly, his expression unreadable, his limbs still securing the smaller boy to the ground. This caused Naruto to panic slightly. What was happening? Was he regretting it? _Why_ was he stopping?!

The blonde felt tears start to sting his eyes, as harsh reality sank into his consciousness.

What has he done? Oh my god, it was his fault for letting it go so far… How could he _let_ it go this far? He probably just realised that this is so wrong… All so wr-

A soul searing kiss silenced the last of the smaller boy's doubts.

----------------------------

Naruto found himself kissing back, with almost as much hunger and passion to rival the dark-haired boy. Nothing seemed to matter anymore, except to get as much contact as possible with the lithe figure on top of him.

A low moan erupted from the blonde, as the raven-haired boy teased his outer lips almost playfully with his hot tongue.

"You like that?" Sasuke whispered seductively, sending Naruto into a frenzy of conflicting hormones. The smaller boy found himself arching his lips up towards the other boy, surprising even himself with his surge of courage as he captured the Uchiha into another mind-blowing kiss. Well at least that shut him up! Not that he didn't like the sound of the raven-haired boy's voice… But he could put his mouth into _so_ much better use…

Suddenly Sasuke broke away from the kiss, albeit reluctantly, and re-adjusted his position on top, so that the blonde haired boy was now _totally_ immobile… It wasn't surprising really - the stoic boy had _always_ had something for power and dominance...

"I'm in control here…" he whispered, as his dark eyes ravished the whole of the Naruto's body with raw hunger. The blonde shivered half from excitement and half from the amount of power those words seemed to hold...

Sasuke seemed…almost…_dangerous_.

Keeping the smaller boy's arms tightly under his confinement, the dark-haired boy began to trail soft kisses down Naruto's chin, down his neck and onto the smooth expanse of open chest. His kisses began to get harsher, almost desperate, causing the blonde to whimper slightly. Sasuke stopped resentfully upon hearing that sound, and gazed into blue eyes, as if searching for answers to his unspoken questions…

_'Why are you stopping?'_ were the only coherent thoughts that ran wildly within the smaller boy's mind, but his mouth refused to speak. His lips still tingled from the other boy's passionate kiss… Never before had he felt so much fire, so much fervour… Not even when they were sparring… The rush of emotions was overwhelming. It was all so desperate, all so rash and impulsive… _All so wrong._

Yet all the more desirable.

Sasuke continued to gaze unsteadily into impossibly blue eyes, as if searching for any signs of hesitation. Naruto wasn't being of much help – he was so glazed that he could've easily been mistaken for a doughnut...

"Kiss me you bastard…" was all he managed to croak out, before Sasuke dutifully conceded.

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A/N: - I have actually written a lemon blush but I can't put it up on ff.net. So if you people out there would like to read it, please check out my profile... Link included in there...

NB: That link only contains the smut scene...You need to return to this page to read the rest of the chapter... Sorry for the inconvenience... But the lemon was damn long... So blah... lol.

Also, the lemon scene isn't really important to the story, so if that kinda stuff makes you a bit queasy, then you don't have to read it… It doesn't affect the story in any way!  
But basically, yeh… Sasuke screwed Naruto. And screwed him hard…

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When Naruto finally woke up the next morning, the Uchiha boy was gone… He shivered slightly from the cold, then realised that he had a soft blue quilt covering his naked torso. The smell of Sasuke had never been so overpowering.

_What…Where… What have I done? _

He looked to his side, and found a set of clean and dry clothes… Clothes that belonged to the raven-haired boy… Feeling slightly dubious, and embarrassed, Naruto quickly slipped the garments over his head, ignoring the dull ache that was relentlessly shooting up his spine…

He felt rough – and was pretty sure that he looked the way he felt. For once in his life he was secretly pleased that he was alone – at least no one could see him in such an unpleasant state… He ran this fingers through his golden hair, and grimaced as they encountered all sorts of knots, leaves and other random bits of dirt and twigs…

_How the hell did all that manage to get into his hair?! _

_'It was pretty wild…' _ his conscience reminded him, almost mockingly, as Naruto blushed from his memories.

Taking the soft quilt with him, the kitsune began his slow walk back to the village of Konoha, a bright crimson flush set upon his features.

_Oh crap…What have I done? What has HE done? Does he regret it…? Do I regret it…? _

_…Will things be different from now on? _

_------------------------------_

Sasuke never did turn up for training that day… Nor the day after… Nor the day after that…

Everyone thought he was ill…

But the blonde knew better… Sasuke would never ever miss a training session, nor a mission, even if it meant dragging his own carcass to the meeting point…

Thoughts raced persistently in and out of his mind, never leaving him - never letting him rest… Vivid dreams haunted him, dreams of the dark-haired boy… His lips, his touch… His tongue…

_Why… When… How…_

Maybe the Uchiha _was_ ashamed…

Then the blonde heard the news that he had just _disappeared_…He didn't know how to feel… Shocked? Hurt? Confused? Betrayed?

That confirmed it – Sasuke _did_ regret it… But it was ok… He'd come back… He wouldn't be gone for more than a few months… He'd come back, and then they could forget about the whole thing, and continue their rivalry like it had _ never_ happened…

All he needed was some time… Time would do them both good…

So Naruto waited… And waited… And waited some more…

But he never did see him again…

_Not until 5 years later…_

_--------------------- End of flashback – Part IX --------------------_

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End of chapter 9

wheee so _ now_ you know what happened!!

Mailing list still open for whoever wants to join! Either leave me a review or send me an email - purrfectly679hotmail.com

Anyways, thanks for reading, and take care! Ja ne


	10. Somebody please show me how

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto. Nor Sasuke... cries  
**Title**: I think I better leave right now - chapter 10**  
Author**: Purrfectly679 - e-mail purrfectly679hotmail.com for comments and suggestions. Feedback highly appreciated.  
**Rating**: R, angst, bad language. SakuSasu, SasuNaru, HinaNaru  
**Notes**: No spoilers. This is a revised repost. Hehe thanks for all the comments... But most people had already guessed what happened between Sasuke and Naruto... -- You people are either too smart, or I'm just terrible at being obscure! lol.

**Previously**: We find out that Sasuke left Konoha Village after sleeping with Naruto...

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Naruto opened his bleary eyes, and found himself back beside the mystical lake, under the pale moonlight… With another dark-haired person by his side…

Except in this circumstance, he was five years older, and five years wiser… And the dark-haired person also happened to be female…

And… Was she _hugging_ him?? What the hell was going on?!

"H-Hinata-chan?" the blonde stuttered, as the bizarre circumstances of his situation finally crept up upon him. He began desperately searching for his mask… Where was his mask?! How did he lose it? He couldn't afford to lose it… He couldn't afford to break down…! He _needed_ that mask! That disguise to hide the pain, to hide the sorrow… The disguise that pretended that everything was ok…

When it wasn't…

When it _really_ wasn't…

"G-Gomen ne, Naruto-kun!" the dark-haired girl cried, as she leapt out of the blonde's embrace. What had possessed her to get so close?! Was she really that foolish enough to think that he would stay in that trance for much longer? And now she had ruined it all…

"No… I'm sorry, Hinata…" Naruto murmured, his voice cracking under the strain. It wasn't her fault… It wasn't her fault that he was stupid enough to get close to Sasuke… It wasn't her fault that he had just happened to choose the least compatible person to get intimate with… Was he blind or just plain stupid? Couldn't he see that getting personal with the Uchiha was a one-way trip down to the devil's domain? That he'd lose _everything_ that had built up over the years… The friendship, the rivalry… The respect…

Especially the respect.

And it wasn't her fault that he couldn't keep up his façade… His cheerful, happy-go-lucky nature… Coming back to the one place that he had avoided for so long - the one place that had _haunted_ his dreams for so long - had somehow shattered the seemingly futile pretentious mask that he had possessed …

The _only_ thing he still possessed…

His heart crumbled painfully as his senses savoured the scent, the feel... the _taste_ of the enchanted air around him… The heart wrenchingly beautiful place that had caused him so much sorrow… So much pain…

_So many forbidden memories…_

He had almost convinced himself that it wasn't real… That the lake _didn't _exist… That nothing had _happened_… Everything was nothing but an illusion, stemmed from his own erratic and delusional mind… And that Sasuke had run off for entirely different reasons… It had nothing to do with him… It wasn't his fault…

_It wasn't his fault at all… _

"N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata stuttered, anxiously, as the pain emitting so visibly from the blonde clenched at her heart with an icy grip.

The blonde's head snapped up at the mention of his name, his blue eyes hauntingly blank as if drowning under some immense agony. The dark-haired girl cringed at the expressionless stare. He looked so lost… So alone… So _vulnerable_…

…Just what _had_ happened to him to cause all this?

And where did Naruto go? Where was Naruto with his carefree smiles? His comical jokes, and all the other things they took for granted…? Where were the exaggerated laughs, the loud shouts, the hyperactive movements…? When did the pranks stop?

When did it _all_ stop?

And when did Naruto become nothing but the shell of his former self?

… Just _when_ did he lose his soul?

---------------------------------------------------------------

_Knock knock…knock knock… _

Sakura padded softly towards the front door of the Uchiha household, wondering who on earth would come visit at such ungodly hours of the night.

_Knock knock… Knock knock…_

Sighing in exasperation, Sakura quickly undid the various nuts and bolts securing the door, intent on getting back to bed as soon as possible...

"Hello?" A baffled expression traced across the pink-haired girl's features. There was no one outside…

Deciding that it must've been a prank, either from some very bored children who had a very late curfew, or from some mentally deranged adults who had nothing to do for fun, Sakura swiftly turned around upon her heel and strolled back into the house-

"AHHHHH!"

"Shhhhh!"

"KAKASHI-SENSEI?! What the hell are _you_ doing here?!"

---------------------------------------------------------

"Hehe, sorry for worrying you Hinata-chan! … It won't happen again!" Naruto smiled cheerfully, as he waved his arms around in the air to demonstrate his point. The light seemed to seep back into the small boy as his face broke into one his trademark mischievous grin.

Hinata stared at the blonde in bafflement. What the hell-? What was going on now? Was Naruto suddenly _ok_ again?!

"N-Naruto-kun?" she enquired softly, before taking a deep breath to gather her wits about her. "Are you ok?" Something wasn't right… How could he be so heartbreakingly distressed one minute, then totally happy the next? It just didn't make sense…

"Hehe…I'm perfectly fine, Hinata-channn!" Naruto sang in his ebullient tone of voice, stumping the dark-haired girl even more. Hinata searched his blue eyes in bewilderment, but found no answers. He seemed normal, happy, cheerful… Like he always was…

"But Naruto-kun…" the small girl murmured, in a half whisper. "W-why…W-why did you act so strange before?" Her tone of voice betrayed her confusion. Was something going on that she didn't know about? Maybe it was a joke?

… But Naruto wouldn't be as cruel as to play a joke on her…

Not a joke like that… Right?

"Eh…" the blonde smiled warmly. "That was… Er… Yeh, I think I had some indigestion! Hehe!" Naruto scratched his head in embarrassment, and had the grace to blush. "Stupid me eh? Always getting things wrong!" the blonde mocked himself lightly.

"Right… Indigestion…" Hinata murmured weakly. She wasn't convinced. How could _that_ have been indigestion? His symptoms were too severe… Way too severe for _mere_ indigestion… When did unsettled stomachs suddenly cause frantic breathing, erratic heart rates and temporary unconsciousness…?

"Sorry for scaring you…" Naruto spoke up, while gazing at the soles of his feet in fascination. The smaller girl realised that he seemed to be doing everything in his power to divert his attention from the shimmering lake before him… But why would anyone do that?! The lake was absolutely gorgeous!!

Something must've happened here… Something _bad_… For the normally hyperactive blonde to act so withdrawn… Something was definitely not right...

But just what _had_ happened?

Hinata stared at Naruto in blatant confusion. At the moment, there were just _too_ few answers to the many questions swimming around in her mind… Like what the hell was going on? What the hell had happened to Naruto? And how could he just be _ok_ all of a sudden?

…But he _said_ he was ok… He sounded so sincere… So sure…. So _normal_… Just like he always was… So she should trust him right?

Or maybe he had gotten really good at lying??

'_Unless…_' Hinata's heart sank at the thought. '_Unless his whole life had been nothing but a lie…_'

Unless he was _nothing_ but the mask that he had perfected over the years…

------------------------------------------

Sakura glared evilly at the older man standing in front of her, as she closed her front door suspiciously.

"Don't ever do that to me again, you hear me?" she growled, scathingly, her death glare still locked on the silver-haired jounin.

"Do what?" he asked nonchalantly, with a bemused smile crossing his one eye that was on display.

"Creep up on me like that!" Sakura barked, angry with herself for letting the older man get the better of her. Just how did he do it!? He just seemed to appear out of nowhere!

"But Sakuraaa," Kakashi whined, clasping his hands upon his chest. "You took so long, and there was a rabid dog outside-"

"Liar – I didn't see a dog." the pink haired girl felt her anger plummet, and sighed in defeat, as if talking to a _really_ stupid little boy. Sometimes she wondered how the silver haired man ever made it to the ranks of an elite jounin… Didn't you need _at_ _least_ half a brain cell that worked to get that far?!

"Well there was this rabid cat as well and-"

"You know what, I don't want to know… Just tell me why you're here...!" Sakura interrupted, rather brashly and impatiently. She knew that he was going to say something totally ridiculous, unbelievable and unrelated anyway, so might as well save them both the energy and time. Some people just _never_ changed…

"Aww you're no fun…" the silver haired man pouted, uncharacteristically.

"Yeh well, it IS midnight! So what did you expect?!" Sakura shouted, maybe just a little too loudly for the present time and place.

"Aww…Well I'm sorry for interrupting your _hot_ sex, but I really need to speak to Sasuke…" Kakashi teased, as his eye glinted mischievously.

"W-We weren't having sex!" the pink haired girl squirmed, as she gazed at the floor in embarrassment. God! Did her sensei have no shame?! Oh my gawd, her teacher was talking to her about _sex_! Sex with _Sasuke_!

So _that's _what hitting rock bottom felt like…

"And if we were, it's none of your business anyway, you damn pervert!" she flustered, as she tried to compose herself, albeit unsuccessfully.

"Ahh… So I guess perfect Sasuke is lacking in the trousers department?" the silver haired jounin grinned. Oh well, no one could be perfect…! He had the face, the body, the mind and the skills… So _what_ if he also had a weener?!

"Whaa!?" Sakura screeched indignantly, deeply offended by the comment. "What's that got to do with anything?!"

Sasuke… He… He isn't…_small_… Is he? _Is he_?!

Is _that_ why he won't sleep with her?!

"Well, cos if I was Sasuke's fiancée, and he was _good_, _I_ wouldn't let him leave the bedroom…" the copycat ninja explained, as he seemed to ponder the idea way too seriously and enthusiastically for Sakura to feel comfortable. God, if Kakashi was Sasuke's fiancée? That's… just… _morbid_…

Arghhh images! Nightmares! Nuii…..!

"Well, actually, he's not at home…" the pink haired girl glared; a little peeved that someone could inflict such torment upon her frail mind. She shivered involuntarily from the thoughts… Damn Kakashi and his _stupid stupid_ ideas!

"Oh…? Where's he gone then? And when's he coming back?" Kakashi asked, as he jammed his gloved hands into his pockets with an air of nonchalance.

"I don't know and I don't know – its not like I own him!" Sakura glared defiantly. She felt slightly pissed off now - half from the fact that her former sensei had managed to scare the living wits out of her, and half from the fact that she _didn't actually know_ where Sasuke was… She could never keep tabs on the boy, no matter how much she tried…

It was just a part of his nature - to need solitude, to be at peace, to think… So she hadn't worried about it too much… Until recently of course… Since coming back to Konoha, he had hardly been at home during the nights… She didn't know where he went or what he did… And when she asked, the Uchiha boy had just shrugged indifferently… Without even a single word of explanation.

Sometimes he could drive her patience to her wits end. But she always forgave him. She had to.

After all, love did the most stupid things to people...

"Aww but he said he was going to meet me to discuss things…" Kakashi pouted, as he un-jammed one hand and ran it through his untamed mess of silver hair, which looked as if it hadn't seen a brush in weeks.

"Discuss what type of things?" Sakura's eyes narrowed in suspicion. If discussing _things_ involved the copy ninja of Konoha, then things definitely _couldn't_ be good! She furiously wondered whether her former sensei was corrupting her future spouse with pornographic images from his favourite 'icha icha paradise' books…

_Arghh… No Sasuke! Be strong! Don't succumb to evil...!_

"Just about duties…" Kakashi winked and grinned. "Since he's a ninja, he's going to be assigned missions and things again, just like everybody else…"

"Oh…" pink brows knotted in slight confusion. The Uchiha hadn't mentioned anything to her… But she guessed that it had to happen sooner or later. They _were_ both ninja's after all… And they had a duty to fulfil...

To the village, and to themselves.

"Yeh, we were going to see the Hokage… Oh and don't worry, I'm sure Sasuke won't need to consult my _books_! I bet he's a devil in bed already, eh eh eh?!" the silver haired man leered, good naturedly. Ah teasing Sakura never did get old!

"Kakashi-sensei!" the pink haired girl half barked, half scolded in embarrassment, both from the humiliating situation, and from the fact that the older man had perceived her doubts… _How_ did he even know that she had suspected him of trying to corrupt her fiancé? With his infamous books nevertheless? Just _what_ did she do to deserve this?!

God! Are you _sure_ he couldn't read minds?!

"Just joking geez… But judging by your expression, he must really suck in bed…" the older jounin promptly made a face of sympathy.

Sakura glared and cracked her knuckles threateningly.

'_She's getting good at this death glare thing… Must be the effects of spending time with Sasuke…_' Kakashi grinned to himself. And he had thought that he'd never see the day when sweet, innocent Sakura turned psychotic and mad… Ah he was so proud…!

But still, it wasn't effective as the original Uchiha glare… Then again - no one could even get _close_ to that!

Kakashi chuckled in amusement, as Sakura's dark presence loomed ever closer and closer…

Suddenly, the front door burst open, snapping off the hinges.

"AHHHHHHH!"

---------------------------------------------------

"Anyway, I think we better get leaving now, Hinata-chan…" Naruto smiled softly at the evidently confused girl in front of him. "It's getting late…" his voice trailed off. But it wasn't as if he had anyone to go home to anyway… In all honesty, he just couldn't stand the place anymore. Beautiful – yes… But comfortable – no... It was too painful… Occupied with too many forbidden memories…

Occupied with everything that he had wanted to forget… Everything he wanted to leave behind…

Hinata seemed to hesitate on the spot. She gingerly reached an arm out, as if contemplating whether to touch the boy beside her or not. After a moment of dithering, she hastily retracted her arm, as a furious blush spread over her face.

Naruto stared dumbfounded. This girl sure was weird…

He got up unsteadily; willing his straying thoughts to stay focussed on the situation at hand. He couldn't afford to break down. Not again. Not ever. Putting on the cheeriest smile that he could muster, he offered his outstretched hand to the small girl upon the floor.

He had to be happy. He couldn't let anyone _know_…

"Come on Hinata… I'll walk you home!" his voice was warm with sincerity. He knew that he could fool her, fool her with that idiotic grinning mask of his. Hell - he could fool anyone, even himself sometimes. No one ever knew when he was upset… When he was hurt… Or lonely… No one _needed_ to know… No one needed to know how weak he was deep inside…

How vulnerable he _really_ was…

The dark-haired girl gazed up at him from her seating position upon the ground; her eyes shimmering strangely. Whether it was just the light playing tricks on him, or whether it had originated from unshed tears, the blonde couldn't tell. She timidly placed her own small hands into the warm palm of Naruto's, while keeping her gazed fixed firmly upon the floor.

Blue eyes widened slightly, as he felt ice-cold skin press against his own.

"Dammit Hinata, you're going to get pneumonia!" he growled, as he pulled the shivering girl into his warm embrace. How _did_ she get so cold!? The temperature wasn't even that mild!

He felt her slight form shiver beneath him, as he pulled her closer. He didn't know what he was doing… But he knew that being frozen _definitely_ wasn't good… And the only thing that he had in his disposal to warm her up with was his own body heat… He just hoped that she wouldn't catch a fever… Or pneumonia… Or worse.

He sighed wearily, his pretence wavering slightly, as he realised that it was his fault again… His fault for asking her to accompany him in their bizarre midnight stroll… His fault for not realising that she was shivering and half frozen… It was _always_ his fault...

He felt his mask harden upon his face. He was useless. He was a curse. Dire things always happened to the unlucky few whose lives crossed his path…

He was guilty.

He was _always_ guilty…

---------------------------------------------------

"What are YOU doing here?!" Sakura screeched, as she pointed at the intruder that had just knocked down her front door.

"Eep." Oh well – at least the man who was splattered disorderedly all over her front doorstep had the dignity to look abashed.

"Yo!" Kakashi waved cheerfully, oblivious to the irate female standing by his side.

The man at the door stood up, and dusted his green jumpsuit indignantly.

"Is there some kind of midnight party here that I wasn't told about?!" the pink haired girl huffed, her patience obviously wearing thin. Hell, one unwanted visitor was enough for her fragile mind... And now 2?!

"I heard a scream, and thought you were in trouble…" the dark-haired man explained. "And since I _am_ as wonderful as people say I am, I came to your rescue!" He posed conceitedly, winked, then flashed his superbly white teeth at a disenchanted Sakura - who promptly sank to the floor in distress.

"Nice night, isn't it?" Kakashi smiled up to the thick browed 'somewhat of a rival' jounin sensei.

"Actually yes, it's a lovely night! Lee-kun had just left my house after watching a series of ninja tactical videos and I was just about to start knitting a new scarf for him…"

Silence…

"Ah… You must be wondering why a scarf in summer! Well, yes… You see, it's kinda an early Christmas present… I don't want Lee-kun to catch a chill or anything… You know how unpredictable the weather can get! And since he's been crying so much recently… You know, he's more susceptible to an illness in his vulnerable state…"

More silence.

"And yes, it's green! Wouldn't think of any other colour! After all, green is the colour of vitality! It's the colour of our youth, the finest period in our brief and fleeting lives! The time when we gain responsibly, acquire maturity, develop both physically and emotionally… It's, all in all, the best colour for the job!"

"Yuhh…" the silver-haired ninja spoke up for the first time since their so-called conversation had started. But didn't conversations require two people? You know, two people talking _to_ each other? Like a _shared_ thing? Just when did it start to become a solo undertaking?

Peh, it definitely wasn't meant to be a lone person rambling off at random tangents...!

Kakashi faked an impression of contemplation. "I prefer orange…"

Silence.

"Why?!" Gai shouted in blind outrage. "What an obtrusive colour! So rash! So bold! Totally _totally_ wrong! It highlights the injustice of today's teens! The loudness! Their recklessness! The impulsiveness! It's the colour of rage, and we all know that rage cannot lead to anything productive! Why, why, I'm really surprised at you Kakashi…" Gai tutted, as if seriously disappointed with his rival. "We, as ninja's, all know that green is the best colour for everything! And orange is useless when it comes to stealth! How can you possibly avoid the enemies' eye dressed in such an outlandish and prominent colour?"

Silence.

"Ha I'm glad that you've been stunned into silence from my informative talk! I guess after all these years, I've finally made it through to you! I knew it was going to happen someday! Well, I guess I shall leave you alone with your thoughts, as they must be very confusing at this present moment in time. But don't worry – things will become clearer! I do hope we can do this again sometime, and connect like we have tonight! Good night Kakashi, I shall never forget this…"

Gai picked up the fallen door and propped it against the wooden frame of the entrance, then spared a glance at the fallen heap upon the floor.

"Goodnight, Miss Sakura. Don't forget, if you are ever in another dire situation, just scream! I shall be glad to offer my services to you in the future! I shall rescue you and be your saviour! Don't worry, it's no hassle! After all, the value of sleep is insignificant compared to someone's young life! Why, we all know that the flower of youth should not be taken audaciously! So much ahead, so much to look forward to! I shall protect you and all the adolescences in Konoha that you represent! After all, you are the one responsible for Kakashi and I finally understanding each other! I am and will forever be in your debt!"

"Ehh… H-Hai…" the pink haired girl sighed dejectedly, wondering what the hell she did to deserve such bizarre company in the middle of the night. The older man's overly extended speech flashed through her head groggily. Geez, just what drugs were he on?! No wonder Kakashi was so damn eccentric – how can anyone stay sane with fuzzy eyebrows senior in their presence?!

Dread pulsed through her body as a disturbing thought entered her mind… Was there… No… Couldn't be…

Could it? …Was there… Was there _finally_ someone _weirder_ than Kakashi?!

Silence filled the room as the boisterous trespasser left the premises, after flashing a final pose worthy of an extremely large sick bucket. For a while, both occupants of the room could hear nothing but the faint whistling of the winds outside...

"Eh… Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura murmured, as fatigue consumed her body. She stood up unsteadily, before facing her former teacher and legendary ninja. He appeared to be deep in thought. Then again, she could never be sure with such a limited proportion of his facial expression on display.

"Eh… Yeh…" She realised that she was lost for words. And confused. What the hell had just happened anyway?

First her former sensei arrives uninvited at ungodly hours of the night, demanding to see an absent Sasuke, although the pink haired girl deduced that the inappropriate timing had more to do with his lateness than anything else… Then Mr thick brows gatecrashes the house, mentions something about the colour green, then prances off again??

She shook her head. She decided that she didn't want to know after all. In fact, she didn't even care. She had a feeling that if she ever got around it, she'd regret understanding the two. After all – didn't you have to be insane to understand the mentally retarded…??

The pink haired girl took a deep breath. "If there's nothing else that you want, I'm going to bed now…" she sighed wearily, as she began to push the unmoving ninja towards the exit.

"Ehh…" the silver-haired jounin murmured, rather disjointedly - the movement seemingly rousing him. He stretched his limbs out in an over exaggerated yawn, before blinking rapidly in the light. "Where am I?"

The pink haired girl sweat dropped. She opened her mouth as if to say something, then promptly shut it. No point in wasting anymore energy or time. Sometimes, she felt _too_ much like the mother figure… It was starting to get a little disconcerting… Especially since her _son_ was her teacher…

"Sasuke isn't here… I'll tell him when he gets back that you've been looking for him… Please excuse me, Kakashi-sensei, but I really would like to be getting back to bed now…" Her words were hasty and her movements exaggerated, but she decided that it'll probably be a lot less stressful if she just got straight to the point. No need beating around the bush...

"Uhmm k…" the silver haired man rubbed his one eye wearily. He stifled a yawn, albeit unsuccessfully. Oh dear, looks like he fell asleep again…Oh darn, and he thought he was getting better and better at enduring Gai's painstakingly long speeches… Even though they were usually pointless and about totally random issues…

But hey! Without bad speeches, how could you tell that a good speech was really good?

"Oh and can you prop the door back securely before you go, thanks…" Sakura's voice trailed off as she ascended the stairs to the bedroom, shaking her head and muttering something about stupid teachers and their stupider friends…

Kakashi whistled quietly, as he shoved the broken door back into place. Oh well – looks Sasuke will be having a nice day fixing things tomorrow.

He departed the house in quiet contemplation. Now all jokes aside – where the hell _was_ Sasuke? It was pass midnight, and he still wasn't at home? What on earth could he be getting up to?

And judging by the expression upon Sakura's face, the Uchiha boy's sudden departures weren't unusual… But what could he be doing? At night nonetheless…

Was he training?

Or maybe he was having an affair??

Kakashi snorted at the last thought. The Uchiha, having an affair? Impossible! Firstly he had too much dignity and pride to commit in such a disloyal act… And secondly, the girl in question would sooo not keep quiet about it!

It'll be all over Konoha, and probably as far as the hidden village of sand by now… After all, who _would_ keep quiet if they had the great Uchiha Sasuke in the sack?!

Silver eyebrows pinched in confusion. So if it wasn't an affair, then what exactly _was_ he doing? Something was up. Normal people didn't leave their fiancée at home without even informing her about what time he was going to be back… Let alone _where_ he was going or _what_ he was doing…

Then again, Sasuke had never been at the epitome of _normal_…

Kakashi frowned. The Uchiha was hiding something – he was sure of it. And being everyone's favourite detective ninja, he vowed to get to the bottom of it…

After all – if he could help Naruto, he was sure he could help _Mr-I'm-an-anti-social-bastard _as well… He sighed. Looks like _Mr-I-hate-interfering_ will have to take the back seat again.

But first things first…

The copycat ninja of Konoha hummed happily as he whipped out his favourite ORANGE book, titled 'icha icha paradise' and began his journey home…

(Kakashi has super eyes ok… He can read anything in the dark! GO Kakashi-sensei!)

---------------------------------------------------

A twig snapped loudly, seizing the attention of the two ninja's locked in an embrace. Two pairs of curious eyes met a dark, smouldering glare.

"S-Sasuke?"

Hinata's mouth dropped in shock. What was Sasuke doing here? How did he find this place? Was Sakura here? Were she and Naruto intruding…? Maybe the couple wanted some private time together?

Hinata felt the boy in her arms stiffen from the unexpected company. She gazed back at the angry glare boring into her, with a frightened expression etched upon her features… So dark… So angry… So _intimidating_… Did she do something wrong? Why was he so… _so_ furious…?

She had never seen so much emotion in those eyes before… Those usually blank eyes… They were almost on fire… Burning with some indescribable rage...

A shiver went up the dark-haired girl's spine, as she realised, rather distressingly, that an angry Sasuke wasn't a good thing…

Wasn't a good thing at all…

Silence consumed the three, and for a while, all Hinata could hear was the faint rustling of the wind, behind the pounding of her own frantic heart.

"What. Are. You. Doing. Here?" each word from the lone figure was spat out carefully and concisely. Danger laced each syllable, and Hinata felt herself shudder inwardly. _Damn it!_ She was a shinobi! She shouldn't feel threatened by him! Anyway, it wasn't as if he _owned_ the lake! He had no right, no right at _all_ to get angry with them for visiting the place!

Naruto stayed silent, but one look into his pallid features informed Hinata that something was wrong. He was unusually tense, clutching her so tightly that his knuckles were beginning to turn white.

Was he frightened of Sasuke too?

_But they hadn't done anything wrong!_

"G-Gomen ne, S-Sasuke-san…" Hinata mumbled weakly, each passing moment adding to her mounting fear. She was scared. God she was so damn scared. Scared because of the uncertainty surrounding the actions of the Uchiha boy, and scared for Naruto…

Because if the blonde was scared, then _something_ must be wrong…

Who knew what the raven-haired boy could achieve…? Could accomplish… How he would react… He was unpredictable... Mysterious… Ever since that tragic day he had unexpectedly ran off, people had been curious… Just _why_? And where did he go? What was he doing? But the curiosity didn't die out - it mounted and mounted, until it finally developed into fear…

The villagers were afraid… Afraid of his power… Afraid of his unrivalled skills – the arms that could crush windpipes… The legs that could break limbs… They were afraid of the growing darkness that seemed to consume him from within… Was he going to betray them all? Because he had the power to betray them….

He had the power to _destroy_ them all…

But if he wasn't planning against them, then why did he run off? Why didn't he come back? Or _couldn't_ he come back?

'_Oh god Naruto, please don't daze out on me again!'_ Hinata thought frantically, while pressing the boy closer against her… As if to reassure herself that he was still there… That he was ok… That she wasn't alone…

She could almost pretend that she could hide behind his warmth… That the comforting light that he represented was a shield… A barrier that nothing, and _no one_ could penetrate…

That even _Sasuke_ couldn't penetrate…

"What. Are. You. Doing. Here?" the raven-haired boy repeated, his voice becoming more and more like a growl. Hinata could feel his tolerance rapidly wearing thin…

Figures. Sasuke was never known for his patience.

"W-we were just walking…" the small girl stammered, feeling extremely uncomfortable under the cold glare of the dark-haired boy. Why was he getting so angry for? Was he always this angry?

He wasn't like that before he left… He was cold, yes… Expressionless, yes… Obnoxious at times… And sometimes damn right rude… But… He was _never_ this livid without a good reason…

So either they had done something really dreadful, or Sasuke had changed… Changed a lot since he had left…

"We-we were j-just about to leave n-now… O-oya-s-sumi S-Sasuke-san…" Hinata stuttered, as the tension in the atmosphere mounted to an all time high. It felt as if her life was slowly being sucked out of her… Slowly and painfully…

Sasuke glared vehemently at Hinata, as she struggled unsuccessfully out of Naruto's tense grasp. The stubborn boy just didn't seem to want to move! What was wrong with him?! They had to leave! They had to leave _now_! Before the Uchiha could go even more psycho on them…

Sasuke… Sasuke _wouldn't_ hurt them… Would he?

_'Come on Naruto! We have to get going…'_

"I don't think so."

"S-sorry?" the small girl stammered, a little confused at Sasuke's comment. Don't think so? What did that mean? Did it mean that he wanted them to stay then? God he was so confusing!

Sasuke took a step closer towards the couple, as another twig cracked dangerously under his feet. His eyes flashed threateningly, causing Hinata to recoil involuntarily. Yet Naruto was still rooted immobile to the spot... Just why won't he move?! Couldn't he see that Sasuke was acting a little irrational?

Fuck, he was acting _very_ irrational! _And an irrational Sasuke was a dangerous Sasuke!_

The Uchiha boy stopped in his tracks, a cold glare penetrating the smaller girl, as if daring her to disobey his command.

"You go… _But he stays._"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

End of chapter 10

Yaay, come on you lovely beautiful people, review! (I know for a fact that flattery gets you EVERYWHERE)

_At __Ichiraku...  
_Sasuke: [irate] Grr, I hope you've called me here to apologise you pervert!  
Kakashi: [innocently] Apologise for what?  
Sasuke: ]waves arms around frantically] You know what! Those pictures, and all that other stuff, like-  
Kakashi: [interrupts and changes subject] Look what I've got...!  
_Kakashi holds up a silver ring._  
Sasuke: [pales] Where did you get that?  
Kakashi: [wink] That's for me to know and you to find out!  
Sasuke: [still pale] Give it back.  
Kakashi: [smiles] No.  
_Kakashi drops the ring into a bowl of ramen...  
_Sasuke: [shouts furiously] WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!   
_Naruto walks by... (yes, SUDDENLY walks by!)  
_Naruto: [tuts] Sasuke, you shouldn't use bad language like that! its bad for your health!  
Sasuke: [blanches] No... No.... Noooo! WHY are you here!? Go homeeee! Nooooo! Don't you dare, Kakashi! DON'T YOU DARE!  
Kakashi: [grins] Hey Naruto, want some ramen?  
_Kakashi winks as Sasuke drops to the floor in disgust, muttering something about hygiene issues, eternal pain and unforgiveness. After all, would you wear a ring if it had passed through your rival's digestive system?  
Ehh... Thought not._

Thanks for reading, and take care x x

p.s. the mailing list offer is still on! mail me - purrfectly679hotmail.com or leave me a review with ur addy in it!


	11. I'm here, so please explain

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto. Only the storyline is mine   
**Title**: I think I better leave right now - chapter 11**  
Author**: Purrfectly679 - e-mail purrfectly679hotmail.com for comments and suggestions. Feedback highly appreciated.  
**Rating**: PG-13, angst, bad language. SakuSasu, SasuNaru, HinaNaru  
**Notes**: No spoilers. This is a revised repost. Hehe thanks for all the comments...

**Previously**: Sasuke makes his angry presence known to both Hinata and the blonde.

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_"You go… But he stays…"_

"Huh?" Hinata asked immediately, a little bewildered. Did she just hear right? He wanted Naruto to stay? But didn't he _hate_ Naruto? Because he definitely _acted_ like he hated Naruto… Just what was going on?

"You. Go. And. He. Stays." Each word was spat out slowly and menacingly, as if daring the dark-haired girl to challenge him again. He didn't seem in the slightest bit fazed that he was scaring a smaller girl senseless.

Hinata trembled as she gazed at the unfocussed Naruto in her arms. God she was scared, but she couldn't just leave him here! What did Sasuke want with him? Was he going to punish the blonde for whatever they had done? Just what _had_ they done anyway!? Or did they have another dispute?

Sure it was common in the past for the two to argue, but for god's sake! They were _men_ now! And one of them was about to get married! Surely they couldn't _still_ be bickering!!

But for the first time ever, Naruto seemed afraid of him too… He seemed so rigid, so _tense_… And if Naruto was afraid, then something was up…

Hinata realised, rather sullenly, that _maybe_ this wasn't a fickle fight after all…

This was now something serious…

Something _very_ serious…

-----------------------------------------------------

As sleep prevailed her once again, Sakura sighed, wide-awake upon the bed that she and Sasuke shared… Well, theoretically - the bed they were _supposed_ to share… It wasn't as if he was a very adequate bed partner… In fact, she could count the number of times that he had actually slept next to her on one hand…

She tossed and turned onto her other side to get more comfortable. God what had happened to her weariness? It was only a moment ago that she had almost collapsed from exhaustion… Then again, maybe _that_ had something to do with a certain obnoxious jounin, and the visit from his more than irritating friend…

_Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke… _

She smiled ruefully. After all this time, and _still_ all she could think about was the abnormally cold stoic boy… He invaded her mind, her waking life and even her dreams… He was the air she breathed.

He was her _everything_.

'_How long is it going to be this time?_' she asked herself silently. It wasn't the first time that the raven-haired boy had just left, just _disappeared_ without saying a word… Sometimes he came back after a few hours… Sometimes the next morning… And on rare occasions, he didn't come back for a couple of days…

But he'd be back. He _always_ came back.

She wasn't stupid. She knew that things weren't normal… Well, to be fair, things had _never_ been normal… But since coming back to Konoha, Sasuke had been acting a little _less_ normal than usual…

But what had changed? Did he really hate the village so much? Maybe he had bad experiences here that no one was aware of? Bad experiences and painful memories… Is that why he was never at home? Maybe he hated the house as well…

Maybe he hated everything…

_'You know I'd follow you wherever you go… Just say the word and I'd leave everything behind for you again… I would give up everything I've ever had a thousand times over if it meant that I could stay with you…'_

The pink haired girl sighed and shifted upon the sheets restlessly, as the frequent thoughts invaded her mind once again. Where was he now? Was he out somewhere training? Or was he sleeping in the forest again? Was he hurt?

No, he couldn't be hurt…

She knew she was being irrational… After all, the Uchiha heir was the _last_ person on earth she should be worried about… He could take care of himself just fine… As he had already proved on numerous occasions…

_But still…It was hard not to worry over someone you loved… _

_Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke…_

Sakura smiled bitterly. The boy was so damn unreadable… And that was probably one of the reasons that made him so damn attractive… Still, she couldn't complain. She had expected that from the great Uchiha Sasuke. And now… _Now she had everything she wanted…_

She had him... Even if he did treat her a little weirdly… Even if he wasn't the typical 'nice' type of husband material… Or even the 'agreeable' type to be honest…

But she had him. And that's all that mattered…

_'I'll wait for you… I'll wait for you till the end of time…'_

He had to trust her sooner or later… He just needed a little time, that's all… Just a little more time…

After all, love conquered all… Right?

_Right…?_

--------------------------------------------------------

Blue eyes snapped open rigidly, as Naruto began to focus on his surroundings.

What the-

How the- SASUKE?!

Fuck…!

"Come on Hinata, lets go home," he muttered, after a few moments of hesitation, loud enough for both his companions to hear. He was secretly relieved that he had sounded so bold – quite remarkable really, since his insides were quivering with apprehension…

Not to mention that his heart had _just_ decided to run a 10-mile marathon…

He still couldn't truly comprehend it all. First he had to face all those painful flashbacks - the ones that he had wanted to erase from his memory… And then, the origin of his anguish had _just_ decided to make an appearance…

Could his day get any worse?

He felt lost. Completely and utterly lost. Without even a glimmer of light to lead the way... Just where was he? What was he supposed to do? How was he meant to react?

_Should _he even react?

A surge of inexplicable emotions ran through the blonde…

Just how was he _supposed_ to feel?

Naruto trembled slightly - as his body threatened to break down again… Compared to confronting the one Uchiha Sasuke, unconsciousness had seemed like a rather pleasant option… The _easy_ option… After all, who in their right mind _would_ want to confront the Uchiha when he was looking so damn angry?

But he had to force himself to stay alert… He couldn't lose his pretence! Not in front of him… Not in front of Sasuke… He couldn't afford to collapse… Appear weak… Appear vulnerable… After all, Sasuke didn't care… Sasuke didn't care when he left 5 years ago, when he left without a mark… Without a sign…

Without a word.

'_So why should I care?'_ Naruto's asked himself silently.

The blonde felt strangely calm, surreal… As if everything finally fitted… As if everything _finally_ made sense… He realised that he didn't care… He didn't care at all…

He didn't care as to what, how or why the raven-haired boy was doing there in the first place… He didn't care about what Sasuke wanted to say… He didn't even care about how he felt, what he did or what he planned to do…

After all… Why _should_ he care? _Why the fuck should he care…?_

And more importantly, there was Hinata to worry about… He couldn't leave her there to face the wrath of the unpredictable Uchiha alone. She had done so much for him… Stood by him, looked after him, took him home when he was drunk…

She was _there _for him… The only one who was _ever_ there for him… Maybe the only one who's ever _cared_…

He couldn't let her down...

_He would never let her down!_

-----------------------------------------------------

_Click, click… _

It was universal knowledge that Gai sensei was not a sensible man.

Currently, his larger than life eyebrows were knotted in concentration.

_Click…click…_

"Oh crap!" he muttered softly under his breath, as he undid the last couple of stitches that he had just knitted.

He now held the beginnings of a knitted green scarf, about 10cm long and 15cm wide, which was already scattered generously with holes.

"Lee-kun will love this!" he murmured happily to himself, as tears of joy threatened to drown him for the 5th time since he had started the project.

_Sniff… Sniff…_

Gai unravelled more green yarn as his hands gripped the knitting needles securely…

_Sniff…_

Slowly and steadily, the black haired jounin attempted to add more stitches to the ever-growing length of fabric…

_Sniff… Sniff, whimper…_

Gai threw his work onto the floor grumpily, and sulked. He could not work in such an environment! How was he supposed to achieve maximum concentration and efficiency with such a racket going on outside?

No one with such amiable talent should have to endure such disrespect!

Who was sniffing so loudly anyway? It couldn't be a person, could it…? After all, who would be crying outside his house at nearly one in the morning?!

"Oh no, it might be a poor, defenceless animal!" the jounin sensei gasped loudly. Maybe it was a dog! Or maybe a cute little cat! Or maybe… Maybe it was a fish!!! A _green_ fish!

"I'll save you my precious little fish!" he declared loudly, unconcerned with the fact that he waking up all his slumbering neighbours in the process. He really liked fishes… He liked them almost as much as he liked turtles… They were just so calming, so soothing… The way they swam with their elegant fins… The way they could convey so much without making a sound…

They were simply beautiful…

Especially the green ones…

The Jounin Leaf-nin broke down his own front door in haste. His eyes darted around nervously…

'_Come on fishy! Don't die on me!'_ he pleaded, as his gaze frantically searched the surrounding area. His vision rested on a hunched shadowy figure near his ground-floor window.

Yes that was it! That _had_ to be it! That had to be the tank where the poor, vulnerable and helpless fish (now affectionately named _fishy_), was held captive and imprisoned in the cold, icy and unforgiving conditions outside! He must save him and liberate him! Maybe give him a place to live inside… Inside with the light and the warmth…

That's if he _wanted_ to of course - he would _never_ try and _force_ fishy to do something against his will…

He must save him before he became hungrier! Before he caught pneumonia! Before he cried anymore…

_'I'll save you, fishy!_' the dark haired jounin promised vehemently, as he dashed closer and closer towards the weird shaped fish tank… '_Just hold on… There's no need to cry anymore…'_

But nothing prepared Gai for what he was about to see…

-------------------------------------------

"We need to talk." The reply from Sasuke was curt and straight to the point. The oh so evident anger had somewhat calmed itself, although an underlying sense of danger still possessed the aura of the Uchiha boy.

This just made Naruto angrier. Talk? What the hell did he want to talk about? Why didn't they _talk_ before then? All those days that Sasuke _could've_ acknowledged him, _could've_ said hello… But had ignored him instead, making him feel small, insignificant…

And _now_ he wanted to talk?

"I have nothing to say to you!" he spat out angrily, not caring that he was displaying his emotions visibly and honestly. Where was his calm and composed nature? Where was the Naruto that didn't give a damn bout the Uchiha? The one that wasn't the slightest bit fazed? The one who didn't care…

Didn't care at all…

Out of all the scenarios that the blonde had dreamt up in those 5 years, he had never expected this… He was supposed to walk away… Show that he didn't give a shit… That he had grown up, matured… That he had changed…

He wasn't the naïve little boy he was 5 years ago.

"We need to talk," Sasuke repeated, his voice becoming more and more like a growl, as he folded his arms in impatience. His eyes were focussed intently upon Naruto, like a predator hunting it's prey… They burned with a scorching heat… Still burned with a hidden rage…

He wasn't going to let Naruto get away this time…

"Oh right, so we have to talk when _you_ want to? When it's convenient for _you_? Well I'm _sorry_ Mr Uchiha, but I don't want to talk right now!" Naruto shouted, his temper getting the better of him.

Sasuke flinched. Naruto had never referred to him as _Uchiha_ before… It had sounded so empty... So hostile, distant…

_As if their friendship never existed…_

The blonde tensed visibly – he had never felt so angry in his life… All the years of confusion, of hate, of envy - all these suppressed emotions had all seemed to accumulated into this one single burst of confused fury…

He didn't even appear to notice that his missing mask laid shattered beside him…

Sasuke seemed to hesitate.

"Come on Hinata, lets get going…" Naruto murmured, a little more confidently. Someone had to inform Sasuke that the planet didn't revolve around him! The boy was too arrogant for his own good… Just because everyone else loved him, respected him, wanted to be him or be _with_ him, it didn't give him the right to act like he was better than everyone else…

It didn't give him the right to be so damn ignorant of other people's feelings…

Hinata trembled, and gazed up at the blonde uncertainly.

"I'll walk you home ok?" Naruto smiled gently, completely ignoring the presence of the raven-haired boy.

The smaller girl nodded mutely, a little confused at the blonde's sudden surge of self-assurance. Wasn't he like, '_out of it_' only a few moments ago?

"Fine," the Uchiha muttered, interrupting the interaction between the two people before him. His features resumed its trademark blank expression – as the fire within his eyes seemed to die down.

Such a contrast to how he was before…

A huge feeling of relief washed over Naruto. He was beginning to think that the Uchiha wouldn't let them leave… He _had_ been acting a little strange after all… Then again, he had always acted weird around lakes… Maybe he had some persevere reaction to large quantities of water?

Naruto sighed wearily. He was worried that his façade might've begun to waver… And that somehow the raven-haired boy had noticed… Noticed that he was scared, uncomfortable… Noticed that he was weak, vulnerable…

That he was hiding behind nothing but a mask of hate… Nothing but a façade of anger…

Because in all truthfulness, he _was_ affected… The raven-haired boy's disappearance hadaffected him more than he wanted to let on… Sasuke had hurt him… It was the first time that Naruto discovered that emotional pain was much worse than physical pain…

And it looked like the pain might repeat itself all over again…

------------------------------------------------

"Lee-kun?" Gai's eyes widened in surprise. What was Lee doing outside his house? And at such ungodly hours? Shouldn't he be in bed? After all, even at 21 he was still growing! And growing children should go to bed early!

Ack, the imprudence of today's youth!

_Sniff, sniff…_

"Come on, let's get you inside before you catch a chill…" the older man murmured softly, as he guided his snivelling student into the warmth of his home. It was no time to get angry at the boy's peculiar behaviour. Lee was hunched up in a small ball, his body language betraying his state of distress. Gai sighed sympathetically – poor guy must still be mourning over the loss of Sakura…

He settled Lee onto his green couch, and propped up the broken front door behind him. Two broken doors in one day… Quite an achievement! He quickly snatched up his knitting project from the floor, and hastily deposited it into the nearest draw. He didn't want to ruin the surprise later on!

Lee didn't move from his spot. His head was still hidden in between his trembling hands, his hair bowl shaped hair covering the top of his eyes…

"I'll go get us some tea…" Gai murmured, as he entered the kitchen to boil some water. Poor Lee looked as if he needed some to warm him up! Just what was he doing out there anyway? If he had wanted to come in, he could've just knocked…

'_I wouldn't have minded some company…_' he added silently.

After all – Lee was all he had…

And so he'd always be there for him…

------------------------------------------------

Naruto guided Hinata away from the lake, as the two began their unsteady journey back towards the centre of the village. His arm was casually slung around the smaller girl, to offer both support and warmth to the shivering girl.

Naruto didn't bother to look behind him as he left… Leaving Sasuke all alone beside the lake that was wrought with so many memories… He smiled ironically to himself. It was finally the other way round… It was now _him_ departing the raven-haired boy…

_It was now him walking away._

'_He's probably just looking bored anyway…_' the blonde sighed. It wasn't as if the other boy cared… Hell – did he ever care? About anything?

Sometimes Sasuke was too unfeeling for his own good…

Not before long, unmistakable sounds of deliberate footsteps were following the two. Naruto continued walking, half dragging Hinata along with him, ignoring the indication that someone - most probably Sasuke - was about 10 feet behind them.

Was he following them?

But why was he intentionally being noisy? The Uchiha was an expert of stealth… If he had _really_ wanted to hide, Naruto doubted that even a jounin would be able to find or detect him…

Unless… Unless he _wasn't_ trying to hide…

Maybe he wasn't trying to hide at all…

----------------------------------------------------

"Lee-kun?" Gai enquired softly, as he entered the room with a tray of tea balanced in one hand. He settled it upon the table, and swiftly sat himself upon a chair nearby. He didn't want to appear as if he was suffocating his favourite student, and so had decided to give him more space.

"Go-Gomen ne," the smaller boy shook, as he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. He appeared somewhat calmer, although he was still obviously distressed from one thing or another.

"I thought you went home?" the older man asked gently. After watching the ninja tactical video, Lee had declared that he was tired, and hence had left the premises of his sensei's house. So what was he doing outside? Crying nonetheless?

Did something happen on the way back?

"Gomen… I…I-" Lee hiccupped through his tears. No matter how he tried, he just couldn't seem to stop the tears from falling.

"It's ok…" Gai soothed, and handed the smaller boy a cup of green tea. "Drink this… It'll help…" he instructed kindly, successfully hiding his mounting concern. Maybe this wasn't about Sakura… Maybe the boy hurt! Did someone attack him on his way home?

"I feel so stupid…" Lee murmured, as the warmth from the liquid seeped through his body, somewhat calming his erratic breathing and his frazzled nerves. He had never been good at hiding his feelings, especially from the teacher he trusted so much. One way or another, the jounin shinobi always managed to pry him apart, making him reveal his deepest fears, voice his innermost insecurities and concerns…

And somehow Gai always managed to do it without even trying…

"About Sakura?" the older ninja speculated, although his uncertainty was not lost on his pupil.

Lee nodded in confirmation, as the thicker eye-browed man exhaled visibly. Well, at least that meant all his initial fears about the boy being attacked on his way home were invalid…

"It's nothing to feel stupid about…" Gai murmured, as he sipped the cup of warm tea in his hands. It was strangely comforting - relaxing yet refreshing him at the same time. He was expecting this talk sooner or later. He knew that Lee was upset over the pink-haired girl's engagement, and rightfully so... But they hadn't properly _talked _about it yet… Which was the one thing that Gai dreaded…

He wasn't good with matters of the heart… What was he _supposed_ to say?

"It is!" Lee burst out, unexpectedly. "It _is_ stupid! She deserves happiness, and she looks so contented… So why can't I be happy for her? Why?" The genin's eyes were wide open with sheer desperation… And utmost pain…

It broke Gai's heart.

"You just need more time… All these sudden events have probably just confused you… It'll get better-"

"But I know it won't…" Lee sobbed fervently, his exterior breaking down once again. "It won't… I know it won't…" he repeated, his voice cracking from complete despair.

How could things get better?

How could things _possibly _get better when the one person you loved was promised to someone else?

---------------------------------------------------

"Just what do _you_ want?" Naruto exclaimed intolerantly, as he spun around angrily and fixed his gaze upon the raven-haired boy. Sasuke had been following them for a good five minutes now, and no matter how hard the blonde tried to ignore his presence, the fact that the Uchiha was behind him kept gnawing at the edge of his consciousness… Aggravated him until he _had _to react…

"If you won't talk to me, then I'll just follow you around until you will…" Sasuke stated, his voice smooth and even, as if what he just said was perfectly natural and acceptable in a normal society.

Naruto's blue eyes widened in surprise. What?! Could he do that? Wasn't it against the law to follow someone like that? Wouldn't that count as stalking?!

"I said _I. Won't. Talk. To. You_! What part of that don't you understand?" the blonde hollered in frustration. Why was Sasuke being so damn persistent? Didn't he know when to give up?

"Look, Naruto, you can't avoid me forever!"

"I'm not avoiding you!"

"You can't hide forever…"

The blonde froze in his tracks, his outburst momentarily forgotten.

"Who mentioned anything about hiding?" Naruto murmured softly. Did Sasuke know? Did Sasuke somehow find out? Did he somehow discover that he had been living a lie? Lying behind a mask?

But he hadn't been around… He couldn't know… He _couldn't_ have found out…

_Could he?_

Naruto trembled uncertainly. It was harder than he had anticipated… To act confident, to act bold… To act as if he wasn't scared… To act as if he didn't care…

But he _had_ to act… To pretend… Cos without his mask, he was nothing…

Nothing at all…

"Look, we need to get some things sorted…" Sasuke's voice trailed off.

"I need to take Hinata home…" Naruto answered curtly.

"Why are you being so impossible?" the raven-haired boy growled, the raging anger once again reclaiming his ebony eyes.

"Look, Hinata is cold, so I'm going to take her home. Alright?" the blonde snapped tersely, undaunted by the sudden fire that seemed to ignite from the other boy.

"She can go home by herself!"

"I want to take care of my friends! Not that you'd know about things as frivolous and mundane as friendships…"

"Fine!" Sasuke shouted, as rage finally consumed his being. "You go take your girlfriend home! And just keep on hiding behind that stupid mask of yours! And maybe one day you'll finally manage to fool yourself, just like you've fooled every single fucking idiot in this whole goddamn village!"

"She's not my girlfriend!" Naruto yelled, pathetically, as he furiously tried to change the topic of conversation. God, Sasuke knew…! Sasuke _knew_ about his mask! How did he find out? How the _fuck_ did he find out?

"Not your girlfriend?" the raven-haired boy sneered, his features becoming twisted from a mixture of rage and jealousy. "Then why were you almost making out back there?"

"We were _not_ making out!" Naruto declared, indignantly. What the hell was the Uchiha on about? Why the hell would he be _making out _with Hinata? She was his friend… Maybe his _only_ friend…

And even _if_ he was attracted to her, there was no way in hell that he'd risk losing her friendship by acting on it…

He learnt that that the hard way…

And he wasn't _that_ stupid to repeat his past mistakes…

"Oh, not your girlfriend?… Just a bit on the side? Or do you just make out with all your _friends_?" Sasuke sneered maliciously.

"Shut up Uchiha…" Naruto's voice became low and dangerously calm, like the calmness before a raging storm. Just what was Sasuke trying to imply here? That he was a whore? That he was _loose_?

Suddenly, Naruto felt fire ignite within him, burning at his insides… Scorching at his skin…

How dare he…

_How fucking dare he…_

"I suggest you shut up and listen, _Uzumaki_…" Sasuke spat vehemently, emphasising the frosty and oh too formal name that he had just designated for his former rival. "And I suggest that your girlfriend leaves now… Before she gets hurt… If you know what I mean…"

"You touch her and you'll die, Uchiha!" the blonde snarled, as he clenched his fists so tightly that it began to hurt. It took all his effort to prevent himself from throwing himself at the boy standing only a few feet away from him… To wipe that smug smirk off his face…

"Getting protective are we?"

"Shut the fuck up! She stays with me, so fuck you!"

"Are you _sure_ you want her to find out about _everything_, Uzumaki?" Sasuke scorned spitefully. "About us? About our history?" The taller boy's dark eyes glinted darkly, tauntingly, jeeringly…

Naruto had never seen so much emotion within those depths before…

And it filled him with trepidation…

"N-Naruto-kun… I-I can get home by myself…" Hinata offered weakly, capturing the blonde's attention for the first time since encountering the raven-haired boy. Her voice was strained – evidently from fear of the Uchiha heir.

"No, Hinata, I'll take you home…" the blonde replied firmly, his voice resuming its normal level of intensity. He wasn't going to let her down! Not for some jerk like Sasuke…

Especially _not_ for a jerk like Sasuke…

"N-no, seriously… I c-can get back myself…" the smaller girl insisted. It was obvious that the two boys needed to sort some things out… And she didn't want to get in the way… If there was one thing she hated, it was complicating things…

"Smart choice," Sasuke remarked coldly.

Naruto glared at him.

"You're freezing Hinata… You might catch something… I'll take you home ok?" Naruto responded gently, deliberately ignoring the stoic boy's comments.

"It's ok, really…" Hinata offered the blonde one of her most confident smiles. "I'm a ninja after all… I'm really not that weak…"

"I know you're not weak, Hinata…" Naruto murmured softly, as he inched closer and closer towards the girl. "It's just… I…" the blonde faltered. What he could he say? That he was scared? Frightened?

Scared that something might happen to her on her way home?

How could he tell her…? Tell her that he didn't want anyone else to suffer because of him…? That he didn't want anyone else to get hurt because of him? Didn't want anyone else to feel pain because of his stupid curse…

Cos that's what he was… _A curse_…

A curse that brought other people nothing but misery and bad luck…

Didn't she see? The only way that he'd feel comfortable and at ease was if he personally took her home himself… To make sure she was safe… To confirm that he hadn't hurt her…

_He never wanted to hurt her..._

"It's ok, Naruto-kun…" she murmured gently, and smiled brightly at the blonde. "My house isn't far from here! Just… Just take care of yourself ok?" her brave smile faltered for a split second, before she recomposed herself.

Naruto hesitated. He couldn't leave her alone! She was ice cold! Almost frozen! But then there was Sasuke to contend with… And that stubborn bastard didn't appear to accept 'backing down' as an option…

Then there was the ominous threat…

It had _always_ been an unspoken rule between the two boys that they would keep the details of _that _one night to themselves… The one night that they had become more than just friends…

And ironically, the same night that their friendship ended…

And Sasuke had just mentioned something about letting Hinata know…? Was he _crazy_?! They couldn't let _anybody_ know…! Everyone would just hate him more… They'd think he's repulsive… Disgusting… Nauseating…

Naruto trembled. Could he face more hate from the villagers? Could he really face having another reason for them to hate him?

But the stoic boy wouldn't seriously consider carrying out his threat would he? He had a reputation to protect, right? He had the respect, the power, the fame… He would lose it all if the villagers ever found out about his unnatural fling with the devil… With the _cursed_ one…

Then again… Sasuke could always say that he was tricked… After all, weren't all devils masters of manipulation…?

"I'm taking you home," Naruto made up his mind, as stubborn as ever. To hell with his reputation, or lack of one. Why should he change his plans for Sasuke? Why should they talk when it was convenient for him? It was about time that the raven-haired boy woke up and removed his head from out of his ass…

He had to see that not everyone followed his every whim… That not everything was based solely on him…

_That not everyone regarded him as their most important person…_

"Naruto-kun… I…I really think you should talk to him…" Hinata whispered, a little anxiously, making sure that her words only reached the ears of the blonde.

The kitsune opened his mouth to protest, but the smaller girl interrupted him.

"Please Naruto…" she murmured quietly, her trembling hands betraying her calm exterior. "I don't know what happened between you two, but I know its hurting you too… There's no use in prolonging it… You're going to have to speak to him sooner or later…"

"But-"

"After all, you _are_ going to be their best man…" Hinata rushed her words, cutting the blonde short. "Better to sort things out sooner rather than later, ne? Before things can develop for the worse…"

Naruto wavered on the spot, as he stubbornly stared back at the smaller girl.

"Please Naruto…"she pleaded again, her eyes threateningly moist. "You'll feel better about it afterwards, I promise…"

Naruto nodded mutely in agreement. He had to admit that what she said did make some sense… Even if confronting the Uchiha boy was the last thing on his wish list…

Running away had seemed like the more pleasant option… Simple, painless, stress-free…

But Hinata was right - he couldn't run forever… He had to face Sasuke _sooner or later_… After all, there was still that whole '_best man_' thing to sort out…

"Take this…" Naruto muttered quietly, as he removed his dark orange jacket, and thrust it towards the dark-haired girl. He suddenly felt an overwhelming need to protect her… Even if he couldn't take her home, he could still protect her… Even if it wasn't much…

"N-no… Naruto-kun, y-you need it more! I-I'll be just fine…" Hinata stammered in embarrassment. She hated to cause a fuss!

"It's ok… I never get cold…" The demon fox within him made sure of that…

"I-It's ok, really-"

"Look, it's the least I can do… And I'll come pick it up in the morning…" Naruto suggested, with a small smile.

"I… A-Arigato…" Hinata blushed as she slipped into the orangey garment, gasping as the warmth hit her… The flimsy looking jacket was much warmer than she had anticipated…

And the prospect of seeing Naruto again also warmed her heart…

"Be careful on your way home…" Naruto smiled affectionately, resisting the urge to ruffle the smaller girl's hair. Is this what having a younger sister felt like? Her presence was so _comforting_…

Then again, anything was comforting compared to facing Uchiha Sasuke…

"You be careful too…" Hinata whispered seriously. She gravely hoped that the blonde wouldn't do anything stupid… Such as getting into a fight with dark-haired boy…

Fighting Sasuke was bad enough… But fighting a pissed off Sasuke?

Wasn't that just imminent death?

A final wave and a small smile later, the smaller girl vanished reluctantly from sight, leaving the two boys finally alone in the presence of each other…

Blue eyes met black…

The battle had officially started…

-----------------------------------------------------

Hinata ran on until the two boys were out of earshot, before she slowed to a walk. She always believed in respecting other's privacy… And it seemed like the two boys needed _a lot_ of privacy, judging by the tension that was sizzling in the air…

They definitely had _a lot_ of talking to do… And a lot of understanding to accomplish…

She sighed wearily. Today had definitely been an eventful day…

'_Be careful Naruto…_' she thought silently, her thoughts straying back to the blonde wonder that had been in her arms only a few minutes ago… He had been so warm… So comforting…

So perfect…

She sighed. Although she knew that he was more than capable of taking care of himself, she still instinctively felt anxious for the blonde. Sasuke... Sasuke was _different_ this time - different from all their past encounters… Sasuke had been _more_ than a little angry…

In fact, he had been damn right scary…

But… But it was _obvious _that they needed to talk… And Naruto had appeared to recover from his initial shock… He was almost back to _normal, _judging by the way he was yelling at the Uchiha… So he'd be ok… _Right_?

The small girl smiled softly. She preferred it when Naruto wasn't sad… At least anger confirmed that he was still alive…

But... Just what was he so angry about anyway? Just what were _they_ so angry about? Was it because of Sasuke's sudden departure? Maybe it concerned the _reason_ for his disappearance… Something about the past… Something between them… _Something that no one knew_…

Something that Naruto didn't want her to know…

She walked a little faster, and wrapped the orange jacket tighter around her torso. Sure she was a little upset that Naruto didn't trust her… But then again, why should he? Its not as if he knew her all that well…

Yet… So much anger… From _both_ of them…

Especially Sasuke… Sasuke was damn right pissed - his normally calm exterior and his cool expression thrown out of the window… Something bad must've happened between them for things to get so tense…

For even the great Uchiha to lose his cool…

Hinata shivered as she remembered the cold eyes that had glared at her… With so much venom… With so much hate…

Suddenly she felt very worried for Naruto… She had done the right thing leaving him there…

_Hadn't she?_

-----------------------------------------------

The two boys were finally alone.

"Nice girlfriend you got there…" Sasuke commented, his voice laced with sarcasm and spite. His eyes were dark and broody, glinting eerily under the moonlight…

"She's not my girlfriend…" Naruto sighed wearily. Is _this_ what the Uchiha boy had in mind when he had asked him to talk?

"So who else have you gotten with since I've been gone huh?" the raven-haired boy spat angrily. "Or are they just _friends_?" he sneered maliciously.

"What's this got to do with anything?" Naruto felt the fire once again ignite within him. What the hell did Sasuke want? He had reluctantly abandoned walking Hinata home to talk to him, and now all his rival wanted to do was waste his time…?

He didn't appreciate it…

_He didn't appreciate it one bit…_

"Come answer me Uzumaki!" Sasuke growled, as anger flashed in his black eyes. "Or have you lost count huh? There been too many?"

"Fuck you Sasuke! It's none of your business any-"

"And I guess you've taken them all down to that lake huh? Special place that, huh?" Sasuke scorned, his features becoming twisted in uncontrollable rage.

And yet….

_And yet he still looked so beautiful…_

"WHAT ARE YOU ON ABOUT?" Naruto shouted furiously. The air sizzled and cracked visibly from the tension that the two former rivals were emitting. The blonde was seriously confused now… What the fuck was Sasuke talking about?

Why the hell would he take anyone down to the lake, when he had avoided it for 5 years straight?

"ANSWER ME DAMN IT!" Sasuke all but roared, his eyes dilating madly, revealing the full extent of his anger.

"You're wasting my time…" the blonde growled, slightly fazed by such an explosion of emotion from the usually stoic boy. Sasuke had never looked so damn pissed in his life… Hell, Naruto couldn't recall _ever_ seeing someone looking that pissed in his life…

He must've done something bad… Really bad… But just what was it? How could he infuriate the other boy so much without even _realising_ it?

Unless the Uchiha was just in a bad mood… Yeh, that _had_ to be it…

'_Sasuke probably just had an argument with Sakura or something…_' Naruto thought bitterly. Why else would he be so angry? It wasn't as if he _cared_ about anything else…

Talking about Sakura…

"Look, basically I don't like you and it's obvious that you don't like me…" Naruto continued, a little apprehensively. "But for some strange reason, Sakura seems to think that I should be the best man, and I don't want to disappoint her…"

Naruto glanced up, confirming that the taller boy was listening, although it was still blatantly obvious that he was glowering from unsuppressed rage.

The blonde sighed. Talk about total lack of self control…

"So I'm going to make things simple for you… You do what you like, and I'll just pretend that I was there and helped ok? That way we'll both be happy…" Naruto finished, and folded his arms dubiously.

It was for the best after all… The less they saw of each other, the better things would turn out…

And the less it would hurt…

"I'll take your silence as a yes then…" Naruto stated, relieved that the confrontation had ensued so smoothly. He hadn't expected this… Hell, he didn't know what to expect… But whatever it was, it wasn't this…

After all, when did things start going _right_ for him?

More silence greeted the two.

The blonde took it as his cue to leave. He didn't really anticipate being an anger outlet for the Uchiha boy, so he figured that it was best to leave before things got ugly… He turned his back on Sasuke as he prepared to walk away...

He felt strangely in control… Powerful…

But before he had a chance to ponder his thoughts, the blonde was suddenly tackled from behind. Naruto fell to the floor awkwardly, and was immediately flipped over, the stoic boy straddling his waist. Before his blue eyes could even widen in surprise, warm lips were crushed against his…

Then he was gone…

Naruto sat up in shock. _What the- Did he just- How- Where did…-_

The blonde glanced frantically around him, but there were no signs of his ex-rival…

Something trickled down his face, and the blonde reflexively touched his cheek… It was warm… The drop of liquid sliding down his face was warm…

Were they _tears_?

But… But he wasn't crying…

Naruto gazed around him in complete bafflement…_Sasuke_…?

_Was Sasuke crying?_

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

End chapter 11

Nuii...Another evillll cliffy... Gee, I'm getting good at these huh?

_At Ichiraku's...  
Naruto is eating ramen... As usual...  
_Kakashi: [poofs in] Yo!  
Naruto: [splutters and coughs from shock] You trying to kill me?!  
Kakashi: [smiling] Noo... I just thought I'd show you this...  
_Kakashi holds up a silver ring...  
_Naruto: [stares at his sensei dumbly] What about it?  
Kakashi: [blinks, then blushes] Whoops... I mean this!  
_Kakashi holds up a 'ramen noodle' fridge magnet.  
_Naruto: [in horror] Where did you get that? That's mineee!  
Kakashi: [grins] I know...  
Naruto: [in tears] Don't hurt it! It's my favouritest thing in the whole wide world!

_Suddenly Sasuke walks past, whistling nonchalantly...  
Kakashi grins, and drops the magnet into the half eaten bowl of noodles.  
_Naruto: [mouth open in a silent scream and rendered immobile from shock ...]  
Kakashi: [in a sing along voice] Yo Sasuke... Come 'ere for a second...  
_Sasuke walks over suspiciously.  
_Kakashi: [cheerily] How are you?  
Sasuke: [bluntly] I hate you.  
_Kakashi smiles, and in one swift motion, he grabs __the bowl of ramen, and dumps the contents into Sasuke's pants. _

_Sasuke stands there with ramen in his boxers, as a faint blush appears. Everyone stares. For ages. In total shock._

Kakashi: [whispers into Naruto's ears] ... .. .... ..... .. .. ...  
Naruto: [shuffles nervously] Uhm...Sasuke... [licks lips] That's my... er... ramen there... [stomach rumbles]

_Sasuke runs from the ramen stand screaming something about perverts, hygiene factors and 'I don't care how much you love ramen, it's still wrong to eat food off the body of another person... Especially food from 'down there'...'_

_Naruto runs after him... Screaming something 'please don't run from me! Its the most important thing in my life!'_

_Kakashi grins, takes out his camera, and follows the two..._

And if anyone is interested in joining the mailing list, either leave me a review or mail me: purrfectly679hotmail.com


	12. Why you're opening up the healing wounds...

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto.   
**Title**: I think I better leave right now - chapter 12**  
Author**: Purrfectly679 - e-mail purrfectly679hotmail.com for comments and suggestions. Feedback highly appreciated.  
**Rating**: PG-13, angst, bad language. SakuSasu, SasuNaru, HinaNaru  
**Notes**: No spoilers. This is a revised repost. Ok some things straight: I haven't really been emphasising much on the situations with Orochimaru etc... Basically because this is more of a romance fic rather than an action one...

**Previously**: Sasuke confronts Naruto - then kisses him before running away...

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The sunlight streamed through the window of Naruto's bedroom, the rays dancing an intricate dance gently upon his face, which was currently engrossed in an expression of complete befuddlement. The beams of light illuminated the features of the scarcely peaceful boy in such a way that made him look innocent… _Too_ innocent… _Too_ naïve… The almost angelic image betrayed his inner need to be as loud and raucous as possible at all times…

Such ethereal beauty…

Such a contrast to what the villagers branded as a demon…

The blonde yawned, the first signs of consciousness appearing, as he roused himself from his restless slumber. He had a dream – although he couldn't recall the actual events… Something to do with darkness… So black… So alone…

Naruto rubbed his eyes wearily. He was used to dark dreams… Or nightmares as other people would've termed them… They occurred so frequently that they didn't bother him any more…

The really scary thing was, sometimes his nightmares were better than his waking life…

Dreams were always less _cold_…

The blonde sat up wearily, as the bed sheets sprayed awkwardly over his naked body. He searched his mind tiredly. Just what was he supposed to do today? He was sure he had some plans… But… What were-

_Sakura…Best man duty meeting!_

Naruto groaned loudly. It was only yesterday that he had unwittingly made that promise… The pink haired girl had been so persuasive… _Too persuasive_… Not to mention talkative – somehow he couldn't even get a word in edgeways… To think, so much has happened since then… With Hinata… The lake… And Sasuke…

_Sasuke…_

Naruto grimaced, as he reflexively touched his lips with the tip of his fingers. Now that it was morning again, he could think properly… More clearly…

The thoughts had been plaguing him all night – from the moment he started to head home, to the moment that he had finally succumbed to a restless sleep...

Yet the same questions still rambled aimlessly in his mind…

Did… What… Did that… Did that _kiss_ yesterday actually happen? Or was it just a figment of his own morbid imagination?

The blonde shook his head dazedly as the realisation of the statement hit him.

'_Stupid Naruto!_' he scolded himself. Of course it didn't happen! Why the hell would Sasuke kiss him? When he had Sakura?

What a joke! Lil blondie was actually dense enough to think that Sasuke, _respected Sasuke_, _Sasuke-who's-going-to-marry-the-most-beautiful-girl-in-the-village-Sasuke_ would kiss him? As in him, as in Naruto? As in Naruto the demon child?!

Yeh right!

And why the fuck would he do that? If he were going to cheat on Sakura, he would at least choose someone a little more special… A little more _classy_…

Hell, _anyone_ was classier than Naruto… Even Akamaru…

And to the second point - why the hell would the Uchiha be crying? Everyone _knows_ that the stoic boy didn't cry… He never cried.

Naruto sighed. Why was he blessed with such a stupid imagination?

'_Probably just the stress of the day catching up on you…'_ he murmured to himself. That had to be it… Just a figment of his own stupid imagination… After all, that day _was_ pretty stressful… First with the hangover… Then the flashbacks…

_Then the sudden unwanted appearance of the raven-haired boy…_

Naruto groaned before shuffling out of his warm bed and into the shower…

But if it was _just_ his imagination, then why could he still feel the warm lips upon his? Why could he still taste the distinctive taste of the one Uchiha Sasuke?

And why the hell did his heart hurt so much?

-----------------------------------------------------

Around noon, Naruto found himself embarking on the dreaded journey towards the house of the Uchiha's. He had spent almost 2 hours aimlessly dithering until he finally admitted defeat - he had tried to think up excuses to avoid the 'best man' meeting, but every one of them had sounded pathetic, even to his own ears…

The harsh reality of the situation was that there was no point in avoiding it…

It was inevitable, so why delay the impossible?

'_I hope you appreciated what I'm doing for you…_' the blonde contemplated bitterly, as an image of the pink haired girl flashed up in his mind. If it hadn't been for her, there was no way that he'd submit himself to such torture…

He was still confused… Being near his archrival again, after all that time, had dredged up conflicting emotions within the blonde… He was angry… He was pissed off… He was furious that Sasuke had totally ignored him since returning to the Leaf… Furious that the Uchiha boy was totally ignorant of his existence… Angry that the taller boy expected him to bow at his every whim, to talk when it was convenient for him…

_To think that the world revolved around him…_

Yet there was also another intense emotion that took him by surprise, this one feeling that he couldn't ignore…

That feeling of sorrow… That all too familiar feeling of pain…

_It hurt his heart…_

So many questions that he wanted to but didn't… _Couldn't_ ask…

_Why_ did he leave? _Why_ did he leave without saying goodbye?

Did he really hate him that much? Did he really regret it that much?

And most of all... How? How did they end up like this?

How did they end up in a situation where their friendship no longer meant anything?

_How did they manage to lose everything? _

----------------------------------------------------------

Hinata glanced at the clock for what seemed like the hundredth time that morning. She sat near the entrance of her front door, nervously fiddling with her fingers. Beside her lay a neatly folded dark orange jacket, ready to be reclaimed by its owner…

Except for one problem – the owner was no where to be found…

'_Where are you, Naruto?_' she wondered, a little anxiously. He had promised that he'd come and get his jacket… He promised! So why wasn't he here?

Maybe he and Sasuke got into a fight? Maybe Naruto was hurt! Maybe he _couldn't_ come and retrieve his belongings… Maybe he couldn't _physically_ move…

Or maybe he caught a fever because he didn't have his jacket last night! And maybe he was sick in bed, and he felt really crap… And probably couldn't even breathe properly…

_And it was all her fault!_

_'Stop letting your imagination run away again!_' her conscience scolded in exasperation. It had been no less than the tenth time that her imagination had gone on an overload this one morning… Which wasn't healthy at all…

Especially when one of her 'maybes' happened to involve a giant bunny rabbit with a fetish for yellow mushrooms… Hell - did rabbits even eat mushrooms?

Hinata shook her head wearily to clear her thoughts. She glanced at the clock again…

Where was he?!

Gah Naruto was known for his clumsiness, but lateness wasn't really one of his well-known assets… Unless he had been hanging around Kakashi-sensei too much again… The copycat ninja _did_ have the uncanny ability to make everybody and anybody late… The most renowned example being Uchiha Sasuke during the third Chunnin exam…

Arghh but _where_ was Naruto!?

'_You are rather stupid aren't you_?' the dark-haired girl's conscience smirked. '_Didn't you think of the possibility that he might've… just… forgotten?'_

Just… _Conveniently_ forgotten…

Hinata sighed in dismay… The harsh reality was - maybe she didn't mean as much to him, as he did to her…

Because if he had forgotten so easily, then she _couldn't_ have meant that much to him…

_Couldn't_ have meant much at all…

------------------------------------------------

Sakura rubbed her eyes wearily, as she continued walking towards Naruto's apartment. She didn't get much sleep the night before – the Uchiha house had seemed so isolated, so lonely without anyone there… So strangely empty… And cold… Colder than it had ever been before…

That and thoughts of the Uchiha boy had refused to desert her…

The pink haired girl sighed… Sasuke hadn't returned from whatever he was doing… Trust him to disappear at a time like this… And so she had taken responsibility upon herself to cancel the 'duty' meeting, as she had termed it… Although she doubted that the raven-haired boy would contribute to their discussions, she was sure that he wouldn't appreciate being left out of planning something so important…

Especially something as important as marriage.

Hence the reason she was making the journey to Naruto's apartment…

Sakura grimaced, as thoughts of the earlier encounter with Ino invaded her mind. At first, the blonde female shinobi had glanced at the broken door outside her house rather worriedly, before exhaling in a huge sigh of relief, as she perceived that the pink-haired girl was well and unharmed.

Even after convincing the blonde that she wasn't hurt, at least not physically (Gai and Kakashi could probably cause severe mental problems if given the chance), Ino had looked rather anxious… Even a little nervous…As if she knew something that Sakura didn't…

And when Sakura had cancelled the duty meetings, due to Sasuke's 'busy schedule,' the blonde had looked even more distressed…

Sakura hated lying – especially to one of her closest friends… But what could she say? Her pride just wouldn't permit her to reveal another one of her little humiliating secrets… That Sasuke had disappeared again… That she had no idea where he went…

And no, it _wasn't_ unusual…

Sakura ran her fingers through her pink hair, as her thoughts directed themselves to Ino's strange behaviour. Although she had tried to hide it, it was obvious that something was wrong… The blonde was shifty, edgy and unusually tense…

Such a stark contrast to the happy and optimistic person she was the day before…

Just what had happened in those last 24 hours?? And why did she look so distressed and troubled when the topic of Sasuke being 'busy' came up??

Did she know something that she wasn't letting on? Did this somehow involve Sasu-

"Sakuraaa-channn!"

A distinctive yell brought the pink haired girl out of her reverie. She couldn't help but grin as the messy orange form of Naruto came hurtling towards her.

"Ohayo, Naruto!" she smiled as the hyperactive ninja waved his arms frantically in the air to regain his balance, before he came screeching to a halt in front of her.

"Where you going Sakura-chan?" the blonde grinned eagerly. He was now jumping up and down on the spot, as if it was physically impossible for him to stay still. It was actually rather endearing…

"Eh… I was on my way to your apartment-"

"But I thought we were going to your house? For that duty meeting remember?" Naruto asked, his blue eyes widening in curiosity.

"Aii… Uhm… Change of plans… See… Sasuke's kinda busy…"

The jumping stopped.

Silence descended upon the two.

Sakura gazed at the floor nervously. She hated lying… And why wasn't Naruto interrupting her? She had expected the blonde to shout, yell or somehow insult the stoic boy's lack of responsibility… Or his rudeness at cancelling at such late notice…

Yet he remained silent, as if expecting her to carry on…

_Such disconcerting silence…_

"Yeh so… I'll let you know when… When we can have that meeting ok…" the pink haired girl smiled weakly.

"Uh…Ok then…" Naruto murmured, although there was a sense of confusion within his eyes… Mixed with a glimmer of relief… And… Was that a spark of anger?

"I'll be going home then… Sorry about this Naruto…"

"It's ok Sakura-chann…" the blonde smiled sincerely. "It's not your fault…"

The pink haired girl paused, a faint smile gracing her lips. '_Not my fault_…' Naruto sure had changed… No where near as obnoxious as he used to be…

"Well, uhmm… Ok then… I'll… I'll chat to you later then…" Sakura hesitated. She felt bad about wasting his time…Maybe she should've at least spent a _little_ longer talking to him… And maybe grab lunch with him or something…

She knew she was being selfish, but she really felt like being alone… The sleepless night, the thoughts of Sasuke, and then Ino's erratic behaviour had really taken a toll on her stamina… She just wanted to go home and sleep… Sleep, wake up, then Sasuke will be back…

_Then everything will be ok again…_

"Uhm… See you soon…" Sakura waved apologetically, then turned around uncertainly, before walking back towards the direction she came from...

"Yeh… See you…" Naruto whispered, a small sad smile directed at her retreating back, before he too turned around and walked away…

But due to the hustle and bustle down the busy street, no one noticed the identical sullen expressions gracing the features of the two former teammates, as they walked further and further away from each other… Back to back…

_Was this what they called friendship?_

-------------------------------------------------------

The days passed quickly for the blonde shinobi of Konoha. After the meeting with Sakura, he had ventured over to visit Hinata and retrieve his jacket. She had looked so flustered that Naruto began to wonder whether the gesture of offering his jacket was actually worthwhile…

Because it looked like she had caught a fever after all…

The blonde politely turned down any proposals for lunch – he knew that the smaller girl needed her rest, despite her fervent protests that she was fine…

Thankfully, the subject of the Uchiha boy remained untouched… Naruto wasn't sure whether he'd be able to cope reminiscing about the raven-haired boy once again…

Any more and he'd go insane…

Since that day, the blonde hadn't seen Sakura or Hinata around the village. He caught a glimpse of Ino with Shikamaru in the market once, but rather than tease them, as he would've usually done, he just smiled, waved and let them be…

It was obvious that something was going on… Even if neither party were willing to admit it… They were actually pretty cute...

And Shikamaru deserved happiness…

Naruto hadn't seen Sasuke since the incident at the lake, which suited him perfectly fine. The Uchiha's presence always stirred up some incomprehensible emotion within himself… And rather than confront it or try and work out what it was, the kitsune preferred to tackle it the typical bloke way – _avoid, ignore and hope it disappears_…

After all, ignorance was bliss, right?

Anyway, after their last 'confrontation', Naruto wasn't sure whether he _ever_ wanted to see the raven-haired boy again… He hadn't expected it… Never, not even in his wildest dreams, had he ever expected it to turn out like _that_… He had imagined more anger, more questions, more explanations…

Less confusion…

He definitely did not anticipate a moody Sasuke - especially not a moody Sasuke asking weird ass questions that had nothing to do with anything…

The raven-haired boy was just too unpredictable… Too dangerous, too much of a hazard…

Yet something still bugged the blonde, still preyed aggravatingly on his mind… For the Uchiha to act to strange… To act so out of character…

_Just what had happened in those 5 years?_

------------------------------------------------

_Knock, knock, knock, knock! _

Naruto shifted wearily, deeper into his duvet covers… So warm…

_Knock, knock, knock, knock! _

The blonde snuggled deeper into the fabric irritably, ignoring the frantic knocking upon his front door…

_Knock, knock, knock! _

With a scowl, the kitsune threw back his covers. He glanced at his bedside clock – 6am… Who the hell was brave, or crazy enough to be knocking outside his door at 6am, on a non-mission day?!

Naruto pouted and dived deeper into his covers… He'd just ignore them, and they'll go away, then he can go back to sle-

_Knock, knock, knock, knock!_

"Coming!" he barked, a little pissed off at the unwelcome morning intrusion. That knocking was starting to get on his nerves… He yawned irritably – he hated being woken up prematurely from his slumbers… '_This better be important or I'll-'_

_Knock, knock, knock, knock! _

With a weary sigh, Naruto threw on his robe, and proceeded to greet the persistent visitor outside his apartment. On the short journey there, he had already thought up of 28 ways of killing his unfortunate guest, in the most painful of ways possible…

_Knock, knock, kno- _

"Whatdayawant?" Naruto growled, as he threw the door open, and came face to face with -

Kakashi?

Naruto blinked. This was a sick joke – even by the copy ninja's standards… It was just wrong - extremely wrong, on soo many different levels, to wake someone up as early as this… For no apparent reason…

Then anger consumed him.

"You bastard, I'm going to kill-"

But before he could complete his threat, Naruto was suddenly tackled head on by a blur of pink.

"S-Sakura-chan?" he stammered. What was Sakura doing here? It had been 2 weeks since he had seen her – on that day she cancelled the duty meeting… Come to think of it, those two weeks had gone by pretty fast…

Confused blue eyes glanced up at the form of the silver-haired jounin. The older man was standing there, without the usual smirk upon his face… Even the gleam in his eye missing…

Maybe this wasn't a joke after all… Just what was going on?

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto murmured gently, as he gazed down at the trembling girl in his arms. He was distressed to find that she was crying…

Sakura… Grown up Sakura… Sakura, the girl – the _woman_ who let nothing faze her… The girl who _never_ cried… The girl who promised _never_ to cry again…

Sakura was _crying_…?

"Oh my god Sakura, are you ok? Are you hurt?" the blonde panicked, as he inspected the limbs of the sobbing girl before him. A whirlwind of thoughts attacked Naruto head on – did someone hurt her? Where was Sasuke? Wasn't he meant to be looking after her? That bastard, can't take care of anyone but himself…! Unless… Unless it _was_ Sasuke?

_Did Sasuke hurt her?_ That fucking bast-

Kakashi must've sensed the blonde's suspicions, because he swiftly terminated the theory.

"No, Sasuke hasn't touched her…" the voice was serious and grave, seeming very out of character coming from the silver-haired ninja. "But…" he hesitated. "It does involve him…"

Naruto blinked in confusion. Sasuke didn't hurt Sakura? Then… Then what _did_ he do? The blonde frowned, then completed his physical inspection of the pink haired girl anyway,_ just to make sure_…

The results confirmed what his former sensei had stated – no detectable scars, bruises, fractures… And apart from crying, the pink haired leaf nin seemed perfectly healthy…

Sakura wasn't hurt… At least not _physically_ hurt…

"You might as well come in…" Naruto sighed, as he spared another glance at his former sensei. It looked as if a long explanation was in store. Kakashi gave him a small nod of appreciation, before stepping in and closing the door behind him.

The blonde sat down on a chair, Sakura sitting on his lap with her face buried upon his shoulders. She was still sniffing, although the presence of Naruto seemed to calm her somewhat.

Naruto rubbed her back soothingly. By all means, he may not be used to comforting other people, but for god's sake, he was sure damn well going to try! For Sakura's sake anyway…

The copycat ninja grabbed a chair and sat opposite the two, a thoughtful expression gracing the limited features that were on display. He looked so sombre… So sad… So _serious… _

Naruto realised that it didn't suit him… It didn't suit him at all…

Just what the hell could've happened?

And how the hell was Sasuke involved?

------------------------------------------------

Naruto sat in a dazed silence as his former sensei explained the situation to him. Sakura snivelled weakly in his arms now and again, although she did nothing to neither support nor contradict the silver haired jounin's words.

To put a long story short, Sasuke was missing… He had been missing since 2 weeks ago… And the reason Sakura had cancelled the whole 'duty meeting' was because the Uchiha boy had disappeared… The 'busy' excuse had been nothing more than what it was… Just an excuse…

Naruto's stomach lurched guilty. It had been 2 weeks already? Time had gone so fast that he hadn't even been able to keep track of it… Just what _did_ he do in that fortnight anyway?

It had been _that_ long since he had last seen Sakura… It had been 2 weeks, and he still hadn't gotten around to contacting her… Sure, he had been a bit suspicious that there was still no word from her about the 'meeting,' especially after such a long time, but he had just assumed that they were busy…

Maybe they were planning other things… Such as the venue, the dress, the caterers… Or maybe they got caught up renovating the house or something… They were _human_ after all… They weren't perfect… Anything could've caused a delay…

Naruto sighed… Ok, that was a lie…

The truth was, he didn't contact Sakura because he was secretly relieved that he could postpone the dreaded meeting with the raven-haired boy… If there was no word about it, then he was more than happy to comply… After all, no news was good news - it meant that he wouldn't have to face Sasuke… For another day at least…

He didn't even consider trying to find out why there was such a delay… Because once again, that meant facing the Uchiha… Maybe he was still angry… Maybe he was scared…

_Maybe he was both…_

Naruto choked back a sob. He had been so selfish… He didn't bother checking up on Sakura, to ensure that she was ok, to ensure that she was well because of his own stupid fear… It was all because of his own stupid feelings…! He had 2 weeks to talk to her, find her, meet up with her… But he didn't… She was probably suffering – _crying_ all this time, and he didn't even realise…

_She probably thought that no one cared…_

Just what kinda friend was he? Just what kinda friend abandoned people like that? Especially when they needed you the most...

'_I won't desert you again Sakura…_' the blonde vowed solemnly to himself. No way… There was no way that he'd hurt her again… He'd do everything in his power to help her…

Even if that did mean facing his greatest fear…

Even if that did mean facing the one Uchiha Sasuke…

-----------------------------------------

"So how can I help?" Naruto asked anxiously, as Kakashi finished his account of the current situation.

"Well, basically, the Hokage suggested that we-"

"Wait, the Hokage knows about this?" Naruto asked, a little bewildered. Then again… It wasn't all _that_ surprising really… The Hokage always knew anything and everything that happened in the village…

Nothing ever seemed to ensue without her knowing about it one way or the other…

"Well, Sasuke and I were supposed to talk about paying a visit to the Hokage, the day after the engagement party… But uh… We never actually got around to it…" Kakashi explained, a little uncomfortably. It was probably his fault for turning up so late…

Then again, who would've guessed that Sasuke wouldn't be at home at such ungodly hours?

And who could've possibly guessed that the Uchiha wasn't going to return home for 2 weeks straight?

"Talk to the Hokage about what?" Naruto asked curiously. People never usually saw Tsunade unless they were in trouble…

_Maybe this is why he ran away! Maybe he did something! Maybe he -_

"A-About becoming a-a full t–time leaf-nin a-again," Sakura hiccupped, as she made her first contribution to the discussion that morning. "H-he really w-wants to m-make things w-work… L-live here… S-_stay_ here… Go back to how it used to be…"

Naruto grimaced bitterly. _Go back to how it used to be…_ What did that mean? Back to being friends? Rivals? Forget about _everything _that's happened? Everything that's ever happened between them?

Maybe some things were easier said than done…

The pink haired girl wiped her eyes with her free hand, her other arm still tightly clutched around the blonde. Her eyes were starting to look excruciatingly bloodshot. Another wave of guilt hit the blonde - just how long had she been crying for? Had she been crying for 2 weeks straight?

"If he wishes to remain a ninja in the village of Konoha, then he's going to have to start duties and missions again…" Kakashi explained.

Naruto nodded in understanding. It was obligatory really – if Sasuke wished to remain in Konoha then he'd have to get a job… And he couldn't imagine the Uchiha existing as anything other than a shinobi…

It waspart of him… It was in his blood…

"Anyway the Hokage suggested that the three of us go look for Sasuke, since we probably know him the best… Since he was in our team and everything…"

"But if Tsunade-sama wants to see him, then why didn't she send out the search party to look for him?" Naruto wondered out loud.

After all, the Hokage was powerful, _and_ she had a lot of resources at her disposal… Even if she didn't know where the raven-haired boy was, she sure as hell had the power to find out…

So… Why didn't she?

"I mean, it'll be so much more efficient than just the 3 of us looking for him…" the blonde trailed off uncertainly as he was met with more silence.

Kakashi seemed to look even more sombre, if that was at all possible.

"Naruto…" the older man hesitated, biting down upon his lower lip. "Remember how the villagers first reacted when news of Sasuke's disappearance got around?"

"Yeah, they were all confused…"

"But what happened after the initial confusion? Do you remember?"

Naruto paused in thought. Even a year after the Uchiha's disappearance, there were still many rumours circulating around the village about the raven-haired boy… The blonde remembered hearing some of these crudely whispered remarks – some suspecting that Sasuke was dead, some believed that he was planning to take over the village, and most were convinced that he was going to betray them all… Betray them one way or another…

All in all, the comments weren't exactly _friendly_…

Then again, what was that saying? That fear instigates hate? And it was damn right obvious that they were scared…

Shit scared…

"The Hokage doesn't want to alarm the villagers by sending out a search party… Not just yet anyway… The people are worried, Naruto… They're scared of him, scared of his actions… They haven't…" the silver haired jounin faltered, before recomposing himself. "They haven't totally forgiven him yet… You know how the majority of the people are… They're scared of what they don't understand… And Sasuke's still an enigma to them…"

Naruto snorted at the oh too obvious statement.

"Basically, we are given until tomorrow morning to find him, otherwise Tsunade-sama will have no choice but to employ the search party-"

"Look, I'm sure he'll come out when he wants to…" the blonde interrupted haughtily. Why was everyone making such a fuss for the Uchiha anyway? What was so special about him? He was probably just hiding out somewhere for the sake of appearing cool and mysterious… "I don't see the point in hunting him down… He's probably just pissed off at one thing or another…"

Naruto winced as he realised what he had just said.

"I'm so sorry Sakura, I didn't mean it that way…" the blonde apologised fervently, as he rubbed smoothing circles upon the pink haired girl's back. Gah why didn't he think before he spoke? Him and his stupid mouth…! Poor Sakura... She probably felt bad enough without needing his stupid comments to add to it…

He was such an insensitive jerk-

"Naruto, we think he might've run away again…"

The blonde's head immediately snapped upwards at the statement.

"Sakura informed me that Sasuke has never been away this long before, without notifying her of the situation… If he departs without warning, he usually returns within 3 days… Maximum 5…"

The blonde ninja processed all the new information with his mouth hanging open. So this _wasn't_ the first time? He had left her before? _Without_ telling her where he was going? Uchiha Sasuke, had often left his future wife _by herself_, without giving her any indication of his whereabouts? While she probably cried or worried herself sick?

And he did it again? And again? And he was _still_ doing it now?

_The bastard had no fucking right to call himself her fiancé!_

"It's been 14 days, Naruto… He hasn't been sighted for 14 days…" Kakashi's voice was solemn and steady. The blonde searched the older man's features for something, for _anything_… For _any_ answers… But the jounin's face was blank, betraying no trace of emotion.

Naruto's head spun dizzily from the onslaught of new information. Sasuke? Run away? _Again_? As in disappearing? As in not coming back?

They thought… _The Hokage thought_ that Sasuke had run away again? But he wouldn't do that… Would he? _Could_ he? Where would he go? What would he do? His life was at Konoha now! He couldn't just _disappear_ again… He was going to start duties, and missions and -

_It just wasn't a possibility!_ Sasuke wouldn't be so irresponsible! He just couldn't… He had a fiancée for god's sake! He just _couldn't_…

'_He did it before… He could do it again…_' the blonde's conscience remarked solemnly.

But… Sasuke couldn't be gone! He was back! He couldn't just _go_ again, not so soon… He had _just_ come back! Naruto had seen him… They had argued, shouted, screamed… They had almost fought… At the lake… Only 2 weeks ago… He couldn't have gone already…_ It had only been 2 weeks…_

Naruto froze. _2 weeks ago_… Wasn't that when the Uchiha went missing? Did that mean he was the last person to see him?

He was the last person to see Sasuke 5 years ago before he disappeared as well…

… Did that mean that it was his fault? Was it his fault that Sasuke had gone? Again?

A nauseating sense of déjà vu gripped the blonde…

"And if he doesn't make an appearance soon, the rumours will start again… Rumours of his disloyalty, of his betrayal… And I'm not sure whether the villagers will be as forgiving this time… Or as accepting…"

Kakashi sighed, as if the next part of his statement pained him physically to say it. "And if that happens, then Sasuke may have to leave Konoha for good…"

The room suddenly became very cold.

---------------------------------------------------

The next few hours sped by like a blur. Naruto couldn't think properly, couldn't function properly. Guilt and uneasiness surged uncomfortably through him. He was no longer tired – the initial shock and the confusion were enough to keep him awake, not to mention the hordes of frantic thoughts that were coursing relentlessly through his mind.

If what Kakashi said were true, if Sasuke was really gone again…

_Then it was his fault… It was his fault again…_

After promising to stay uninvolved… To stay out… To stay away… To protect Sakura… Why couldn't he _just_ stay away? Was it really that hard? If he had just followed his own instincts… If he hadn't listened to Kakashi that day… Then Sakura wouldn't be in this situation! She wouldn't be hurt… She'd be happy… She wouldn't be crying… _She wouldn't be crying like this!_

_Why the fuck was he so stupid! Why! Why the hell did bad things always happen to him? _

She didn't deserve this… It was his fault!

_It was always his fucking fault!_

And all it took was one meeting with the stoic boy and everything came crashing down… Just one meeting and the Uchiha hated him enough to leave the village all over again… Just one meeting and he had managed, single-handedly, to destroy the bright future of his two former teammates…

If only he hadn't been so angry at Sasuke… If only they had talked properly, instead of the excessive shouting and screaming that emitted from the both parties… If only he had listened to what the Uchiha had to say… Maybe… Maybe he wouldn't have left…

_It was his fault…_ He didn't even bother to ask what had happened to him in those 5 years… Didn't ask where he went, what he did… Weren't they _supposed_ to be friends?

What – What went wrong? … How… How the hell did it all come to this?

Naruto ran a hand through his blonde hair before leaping back on top of a branch. After their little rendezvous, the three had decided to look for Sasuke anyway… Naruto complied even though he wasn't convinced – after all, if Sasuke wanted to hide, then no one, _not even the best of jounins_ would be able to find him… The boy was a master of stealth that no one, not even himself could compete with…

The blonde had just about given up all hope – but Sakura had declared that there was still a slight possibility that the Uchiha boy hadn't run away… And that he was hiding somewhere within the province of the village… After all, it wasn't as if he had anywhere else to go…

And hope was hope, no matter how slight it may be…

The thought that he could be of some help, _any_ help, was the only thing that kept Naruto going… Kept him watching, searching, pursuing…

He would never abandon Sakura again. He'd help her no matter what it took… He'd help her find her happiness…

Even if it cost him his own…

------------------------------------------------------------

"No luck?"

Naruto landed gracefully on his feet, and shook his head wearily at his sensei's enquiry.

"Hmm… You should get some rest…" Kakashi's voice was gentle and sympathetic. It didn't suit him… Didn't suit him at all…

"It's ok… I'm not tired-"

"At least get something to eat… You haven't eaten all day…"

"But-"

"You're not going help Sakura much in that state…"

Sakura… The only reason why he was straining himself… The only reason why he still cared…

Naruto nodded, and sighed in submission. His sensei was right. He should get something to eat, and then he could resume his searching… More energy meant a higher efficiency right?

The blonde walked dejectedly towards the Uchiha household, as the silver haired jounin took off – to continue his search for Sasuke no doubt. He rubbed his blue eyes wearily. No matter how futile the searching seemed, it was the only thing he could do… The only thing he could do to help… The only thing that made him feel useful…

It was night already – the hours had rushed by without even registering in the kitsune's mind. Sakura had already retired from exhaustion – which wasn't really surprising… She had looked so tired, so weary even before they had even begun their search… So different from the person that Naruto had talked with and laughed with only 2 weeks ago…

Only 2 weeks ago… The blonde grimaced. Those 2 weeks seemed to have finally caught up with the pink haired girl… And judging by her appearance, those 2 weeks weren't easy…

Pushing back a wave of guilt, Naruto knocked softly upon the door of the house that the three had decided to use as their 'base.' The door opened almost immediately, and the blonde had to suppress a surge of self-loathing as he met Sakura's frantic gaze.

_'I shouldn't be here! I should continue looking –'_

"Come in Naruto, I've made you something to eat…" she murmured, the disappointment still painfully evident in her voice.

The blonde sighed guilty, as he followed the smaller girl reluctantly into the warmth of the house…

---------------------------------------

Five minutes later, Naruto was seated at the main table, eating instant ramen from a cup. It was strange how even ramen tasted dull and bland to him at that moment. Or maybe that had something to do with the uncomfortable feeling of guilt surging through him…

An eerie silence settled over the two – one seemingly absorbed in his eating, and the other appearing too tired to talk.

Restless thoughts continued to hurtle around within the confines of the blonde's head.

_He shouldn't be here! He should continue looking… Help somehow! Anyhow…_

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto murmured gently. He just couldn't take the silence anymore. And apart from feeling guilty, something else had been bugging him… Refusing to leave his mind, tugging at his conscience. He should ask right? It was harmless enough… And it might help him in his search for the Uchiha…

Green eyes looked at him questioningly.

"What…" he hesitated, before taking a deep breath for calming purposes. "What happened in those 5 years?"

He instantly regretted asking the seemingly innocent question when the green eyes widened in surprise. Surprise soon turned to horror, which rapidly turned to absolute fear…

"I…" her mouth was wide open, as if wanting to scream… Yet the noise wouldn't come out… _Why couldn't she scream?! _

"I…" tears formed at her eyes, threatening to spill. Her heartbeat became sporadic, and she was ashamed to find her breathing had started to hitch.

"Oh god…" Naruto panicked. "I… It doesn't matter! Aa… Don't worry about it… It was a stupid question!" The blonde abandoned his noodles, and immediately wrapped both his arms around the trembling girl, desperately trying to comfort her.

He continued to hold Sakura for a good 5 minutes, gentle rocking her back and forth to ease the evident tension building within her. The two sat in complete silence, with the occasion sniff and hiccup coming from the quivering girl.

Naruto felt lost. He still wasn't used to this consoling thing… Should he say something? Somehow comfort her verbally? But what he could he say? He had never been good with words…

He sighed wearily. How did he manage to make things even worse? And just as he thought that things were settling down, he had to open his big mouth and make Sakura cry…

_Gah why couldn't he do anything right?_

Drowning in his remorseful thoughts, Naruto almost didn't hear the faint whisper that emitted from the pink haired girl… So hushed that he had almost deemed it another figment of his imagination…

But the chill that surged through his soul was undeniable…

_"Blood…So much blood…" _

-----------------------------------------

Sakura collapsed from weariness not long after. Naruto picked her up and carried her upstairs, noticing for the first time how frail the young woman really was… And how tired she really looked… Even in sleep she looked plagued and haunted by unseen demons, unrelinquished memories…

The blonde had to bite down on his bottom lip from shock as he first entered the master bedroom. It was not what he expected at all. No pictures or photos adorned the shelves… Not gadgets and gizmos littered the place…

No clothes, no books, no life, no soul.

It was just empty - just cold and empty, as if no one had ever lived there at all…

Settling the unmoving body down upon the bed, he sighed before preparing to leave. _He had to help, had to search, had to keep looking- _

"I love him so much…" a soft voice had him looking back in mild curiosity. Sakura was awake? But he was sure that she had passed out –

"I love him so much you know?" the pink haired girl continued, tears running silently down the side of her face.

Naruto nodded in confirmation, just to comfort her. To be honest, he had no idea… He had no idea how it felt to love and to be loved…

"I love him so much it hurts…" Sakura was visibly sobbing now, her chest heaving erratically, although she remained lying upon the bed as if she was too tried to get up.

"Shh, don't talk… Get some rest…" Naruto murmured gently, as he made his way back towards the girl. He had to bite his tongue to hold back his own tears… To see her so hurt… In so much pain… It felt like something was tearing at his insides…

"I don't want to love him, but I do… I can't help who I love right? I've tried, I've tried so hard…" the trembling girl continued, apparently oblivious to the blonde's advice. "I used to wish that I had fallen in love with you instead Naruto…"

The blonde winced at the bluntness of the statement…

"It would be easier, you know…? You're so… _nice_… So much easier to love… But I just couldn't you know? I… I loved _him_, I love Sasuke too much…"

The pink haired girl continued to cry, long after her voice had broken. Naruto sat by helplessly, offering some comfort in the fact that he was there… That someone was there… That no one had to be alone…

She had called him _nice_… He smiled bitterly. If only she knew the truth…

When she had finally fallen asleep, Naruto got up and left the house… There was still one place he hadn't searched… _Still one place…_

That one place he was afraid to go, still afraid to face…

But it was for Sakura… And anything was worth that, right…? He'd have to face it for her… _Anything for her_…

'_I'll be back…_' he promised silently. '_I'll be back, and damn it, I promise you I'll have Sasuke with me…_'

-----------------------------------------

It took him less than 15 minutes to reach that place.

And that's when it started to rain…

Raindrops splattered mercilessly on Naruto, drenching him from head to toe. His blonde hair was plastered uncomfortably to his head; his clothes clung onto his body like a second skin… The rain reduced his vision, but it didn't matter…

He knew where the place was - no matter how hard he tried to forget, he _always_ knew where it was…

He slowed down once the area came into view. Heavy raindrops splashed onto the surface of the large expanse of water, sending furious ripples outwards, crashing angrily against each other, as if fighting for dominance…

The lake was no longer calm…

Scanning the distance with his eyes, Naruto's heart picked up a little as his vision rested upon a hunched figure sitting upon a rock… He smiled ruefully as he realised that he wasn't really _that_ surprised… But before he had a chance to edge forward, the dark head whipped round.

Black eyes met blue.

"N-Naruto?" for the first time in his life, Sasuke had actually looked somewhat shocked. His matt black hair also clung to him, as did his clothes – the same clothes that he had worn 2 weeks ago – emphasising every muscle, every movement that he made. He looked pale, tired, weary… Everything that the Uchiha wasn't meant to be… Not to mention the comical look of bewilderment plastered upon his fair face… The blonde would've laughed if it weren't for the frailness of the situation…

"What are you do-"

"Everyone's looking for you…" Naruto shouted over the roar of the wind, wincing at the curtness of his voice. Hell he wasn't meant to sound like that! He was meant to sound mutual - even friendly damn it!

Sasuke continued to stare at him in silence, the rain drowning out any coherent thoughts that were forming within his mind. As if he didn't quite believe the scenario that was unfolding in front him… As if didn't quite believe that Naruto was really there… Really standing before him…

The blonde hesitated. He knew he should just somehow convince the boy to go home, or drag him home if needed… Then he could go back to his apartment, and have a nice bowl of ramen before going to bed… Then when he woke up everything would be fine and dandy…

And Sakura would be happy…

But something was still nagging him at the back of his mind… Still gnawing at him, refusing to leave him alone… And there was still time… The Hokage gave them till morning anyway… And it's not like _it_ would take _that_ long… Right?

Even after what Sakura had said… It had scared him a little, chilled him to the bone… He knew it should've put him off, he _knew_ he shouldn't ask… Curiosity killed the cat after all…

But he wanted to know… And no matter how hard he tried to convince himself otherwise, the truth was that he _wanted_ to know… He wanted to know _everything_…

Then maybe, _maybe_ he might finally begin to understand the other boy…

"Sasuke…" Naruto began uncertainly. His voice was surprisingly bold and calm, even against the whistling winds. "Sasuke… Wh-"

"I know…" the raven-haired boy interrupted loudly, the rainwater streaming down the contours of his face. "I've got some explaining to do…"

The rain continued to pour down harder.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

End chapter 12

wheeee! Long chapter this! Just to let you folks know, all shall be revealed in the next installment, so stay tuned! (that's if I haven't bored you senseless yet)

Hard chapter this… I'm sorry – it's more of a filler chapter, but it's quite important to the rest of the story…

**Part 1**

_Sasuke and Naruto have been sparring non stop all day... Literally. That means 12 hours without food nor water...  
_Kakashi: [appears] Yo!  
Naruto: [raspy voice] What - are - you - do collapses  
Sasuke: [heaves] Need... oxygen...  
_Kakashi waits patiently as both boys rest and gasp hungrily for oxygen. Ah, the wonders of youth! So much energy, and not enough time to waste it...  
_Kakashi: [smiles] I brought you guys some food!  
Naruto/Sasuke: [simultaneously with suspicion] I'm not hungry!  
_Both of the boys stomachs rumble as if on cue.  
_Kakashi: [rolls eyes] OK then, I'll just take _all_ this lovely food and go home...  
_Kakashi walks extremely slowly away from the two boys, swaying - I mean **sashaying** - his hips as he moves..._

_5 minutes later..._

Kakashi: [cries pitifully and begs on the floor] Pleaseeee eat my food! It took me foreverrr to make! Wahhhh!  
Naruto/Sasuke: [arms folded with a glare] No.  
Kakashi: [puppy dog eyes] Pleaseeee!  
Naruto: [contemplating] What food is it?  
Sasuke: [smacks the blonde on the head] It doesn't matter! You can't trust _him_! He's the _enemy_!  
Kakashi: [pouts mischievously] Its ramen!  
_Before another word was said, Naruto dove into the food, ripping the the bowls from the bags... Sasuke winced. The blonde sure ate like a dog. A retarded dog.  
_Naruto: [mouth full] Dis stuf iz gweat! Donsch wolly, its norp pwosioned!  
_Sasuke stares skeptically before his stomach growls once again. Rather precautiously, he tucks into the food as well._

_10 minutes later..._

Kakashi: [smiles happily] Here, drink this!  
_Both boys take a clear bottle each, then both start draining the contents simulatneously.  
_Sasuke: [spits out liquid] Gah its spiked! You put something in our drinks!  
_Naruto is seemingly oblivious and continues to drink the liquid...  
_Sasuke: [hits the blonde on the head] Baka! He spiked our drinks!  
Naruto: [blinks in shock] Did he- [collapses and starts to snore]  
Sasuke: [glares accusingly at Kakashi] I'm too smart for you!  
Kakashi: [smiles sweetly] No you're not...  
_Sasuke also collapses...  
_Kakashi: [grins] I spiked your food as well   
_Kakashi skips happily as he tosses the two boys over his shoulders.... It was sure going to be fun tonight!!_

_to be continued...._

Please read and review!! Thanks to everyone, and take care

P.s. If you would like to join the mailing list, please state your email in a review or email me - purrfectly679hotmail.com! Arigato!


	13. I'm a little more careful, perhaps it sh...

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto.   
**Title**: I think I better leave right now - chapter 13**  
Author**: Purrfectly679 - e-mail purrfectly679hotmail.com for comments and suggestions. Feedback highly appreciated.  
**Rating**: PG-13, angst, bad language. SakuSasu, SasuNaru, HinaNaru  
**Notes**: No spoilers. This is a revised repost. Thank you so much to everyone for the reviews...!

**Previously**: Naruto finds Sasuke - who has been missing for 2 weeks - by the lake.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The rain poured down relentlessly, almost harshly, soaking the two boys from head to toe. Neither party seemed to realise, nor care that they were thoroughly drenched, that their clothes clung to their bodies like a second skin. Remorseful black met defiant blue, as the two former archrivals stood face to face. Not for the first time…

But maybe for the _last_ time…

It seemed ironic – that even the weather knew, could somehow _sense_ that this occasion was eminent, imperative… The clouds, the rain and wind matched the atmosphere - grave, solemn, tense, as if one wrong move could and would shatter that one instant forever…

Then the critical moment would be forever lost and gone…

Yet this clash of strength, of _will_, had nothing to do with physical endurance… Nothing to do with stamina, special abilities, nor even spirit of the heart... It had everything to do with the unlimited supply of questions… The infinite number of answers…

The whats, the wheres, the hows, the whos, the whens…

The '_How did we end up like this?_'

And most importantly, the '_What do we do about it now?_'

------------------------------------------

After a few more moments of frolicking in the rain, Naruto suggested that the two sought shelter under some trees. It was hard enough to hear themselves think, let alone hear each other's words… The winds continued its cruel assault, screaming as if in agonising pain, while the rain continued to pour down in unforgiving torrents…

Sasuke followed the mop of blonde hair mindlessly, as he kept a constant 20 feet behind the soaked figure. He didn't know where they were headed… He realised that he didn't care either. He just pursued the glint of blonde, as if it were just another mission… Another task…

It was almost, _almost _how it used to be… How it used to be back in the days of being in team 7…

To say that Sasuke was in shock was an understatement. After their last confrontation, Naruto was the last person he had expected to see… The blonde should've been angry, should've refused to look for him… After all, who would waste their precious time searching for the one person that they probably never wanted to see again?

The Uchiha had acted like a jerk – an extremely jealous jerk - and he knew it. So what if Naruto had a girlfriend? He was nice, he was gorgeous – so why wouldn't he be involved? He should be happy, he _deserved_ to be happy…

So why did Sasuke feel as if he _couldn't_ be happy for him?

Naruto stopped moving and stood under a tall oak tree. It wasn't rainproof, but it did conceal them from most of the downpour, bar a few trickles and splashes. It was also sheltered enough so that the howl of the wind was barely audible. The blonde sat himself down nimbly upon the grassy ground, before looking up at Sasuke expectantly. The raven-haired boy paused, then automatically mimicked the blonde's actions.

Silence consumed the two sitting face to face – the taller boy hugging his knees while the blonde sat cross-legged. Even while sitting the two had to be different, had to be conflicting…

It was inevitable… The truth had to be-

"So?"

Sasuke blinked, his expression in blank confusion - a manner that was extremely out of character for the raven-haired youth.

"Come on then, we don't have all night…" the blonde muttered in exasperation.

Silence.

"You've changed..." Sasuke murmured...

Silence.

Black eyes widened in shock as he realised what he had just said. Why did he have to say that for?! Out of all the things he could've come up with, he just _had_ to say that?!

"In what ways?" the blonde asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"You're taller… Your hair's longer… Y-Your voice's deeper…" the words poured from the Uchiha's mouth as if he had no control over them. "You look stronger… Happier…" he choked on his last word, before taking a big breath to calm himself.

"You look good, Naruto…" the stoic boy whispered uncertainly, wondering why the hell it hurt so much… It looked as if the blonde didn't need him, _didn't need him at all_… He had been doing more than fine without him…

Sasuke smiled bitterly. "You're much smarter… The Naruto I knew would've never suggested avoiding the rain… He would've said something along the lines of '_I'm not scared of the rain, you cowards!_'…."

It was true… Naruto _had_ changed… He was no longer the boy, the _friend_ from 5 years ago… No longer the rival that he had sparred with on countless occasions, both driven by the corresponding ambition of becoming stronger… No longer the grinning idiot that he had once affectionately nicknamed 'dobe' and 'baka'…

Because it _was_ a sign of affection – did you see him giving anyone else in the village a nickname? They weren't worth the effort… They didn't deserve it… No one had ever gotten as close to his heart as Naruto did… No one had even gotten close to opening him up as much as the blonde did…

Naruto had managed to accomplish what was deemed impossible – _he had managed to make him feel again_.

"I've missed you…" Sasuke murmured softly, so softly that he wasn't sure whether Naruto had heard him. But the sudden tensing of the blonde revealed the answer. He didn't know why he said it, but it was time to be honest right? No more running, no more lying… No more denying it, even to himself. He had missed the blonde klutz, missed him more than anyone would ever know…

The two drifted off into an uncomfortable silence.

The Uchiha sighed bitterly. What did he expect? Did he somehow expect Naruto to suddenly declare his undying love? Suddenly jump into his arms and announce that everything was going to be fine, that things were going to be ok…? That he had been _forgiven_?

No, he didn't expect that… He'd be a fool to expect that… He did nothing to _deserve_ that… Especially not the forgiveness… But from the bottom of his heart, from the bleak depths of his _soul_… Sasuke had wished, had hoped, had desperately _dreamed_ that the blonde would say one thing…

'_Say you've missed me too… Please, god, tell me you've missed me Naruto…' _

But only the faint whistle of the wind greeted his ears…

------------------------------------------

_'I've missed you…'_

Naruto tensed, his body betraying the fact that he was completely in shock. Did he hear right? Sasuke had _missed_ him? But wasn't he the reason why the Uchiha boy had left Konoha in the first place? It was his fault, wasn't it?

Naruto shifted uncomfortably upon the cold floor. He didn't feel cold, but he couldn't escape the fact that he was completely and utterly drenched from head to toe. Incoherent thoughts whirled wildly in his mind. _Sasuke, as in Uchiha Sasuke, had missed him_…

The blonde opened his mouth to speak, trying desperately to form an articulate response to the statement that he had just heard… He willed his lips to move, to say something, to say _anything_… But his body refused to obey his commands. Instead, his mouth had decided to remain hanging open, emphasising the fact that he was still utterly and downright stunned.

A tense silence consumed the pair.

Naruto panicked. But what should he say? What _could_ he say? He was so confused… He didn't expect this! Sasuke was supposed to hate him! He was supposed to shout, scream, hurl abuse! He wasn't supposed to _miss_ him! That was the last thing he was meant to do…

After all, it _was _his fault that the Uchiha went away…

In those 5 years, Naruto had felt nothing but hate, regret, and anger… Angry at the raven-haired boy for leaving, angry at himself for letting it happen… Hating everything, regretting everything…

_That_ night should never have happened… It was _his_ fault – he should've stopped it… Should've stopped all the shame, the loathing, the disgust… Then everything would've been back to normal… Sasuke would still be his rival and somewhat friend… Sakura would still be there every morning to yell at his stupidity while they trained… Team 7 would've been as it were – a happy although dysfunctional family…His_ only _family...

_Sasuke wasn't supposed to miss him!_

And yet, the blonde realised rather sullenly, that he had missed him too… He had missed their bizarre relationship, missed the constant jeering, the sparring, their shared ambition to become stronger… He missed the 'dobe,' missed the 'baka,' missed the glares, the smirks, the rare smiles…

…He had missed Sasuke.

Naruto opened his mouth to tell him, to say how he felt… Time to be honest, time to stop running, to stop hiding… Time to be strong, to be truthful… But flashes of pink clogged up his mind…

"Why?" was the only word that escaped him, before his voice became too choked to communicate articulately.

_Why did you leave Konoha? Why did you leave us?_

_…Why… Why did you leave me?_

-----------------------------------

_"Why?"_

Sasuke flinched inwardly. He wasn't expecting this… Weren't they meant to idly chat about random things until he built up his nerve? He wasn't ready! Naruto wasn't meant to ask _that_ now! Not so soon… Not _now_! That question… That one question he had been dreading all those years was finally muttered…

_Why now?!_

A burst of raw emotion spurred through the raven-haired boy, smothering him, choking him - some emotions he did not desire to ever feel again. His heart picked up speed, his breathing escalated erratically and his mouth became unusually dry…

_Not now…_

He had often dreamt of this moment, it haunted him in his sleep – teasing him, mocking him, tormenting him… He knew he couldn't run away forever, knew that one day reality would smack him in the face and that it would hurt. A lot. It was foolish to attempt to delay it… He realised that somewhere, someday, the inevitable question would be asked… It was unavoidable, inescapable…

And today just happened to be that day…

Sasuke winced inwardly as the monosyllabic question continued to echo furiously within his confused mind. Naruto had asked '_Why?'_ …Not how, or when… Or what or whom… But _why_… Such a simple question…

Yet such a painful one …

He took a deep breath to calm himself. He had to do this. He _needed_ to do this… Naruto deserved at least that. Even if the blonde hated him afterwards, even if he vowed to hate him forever… Naruto deserved this at least, didn't he? He deserved to know… Deserved to know everything…

Sasuke bit down upon his lip, the jolt of pain increasing his own awareness of the surroundings. Suddenly his mind was clear. He _had_ to do this… He had to clarify everything… He _had_ to explain… Not matter what it took…Even if it did mean reliving it all…

Even if it did mean reliving the worst 5 years of his life…

Maybe he wouldn't be forgiven… He didn't expect that… Maybe he wasn't worthy of that…

But still… Naruto deserved to know…

He deserved to know everything.

---------------------------------------

There was a good 5 minutes of pure silence before Sasuke started to speak. Nothing could be heard throughout that period but the faint pitter-patter of the dying rain. Naruto had remained quiet the whole time, despite the fact that he was in desperate curiosity. He wanted to know _everything_; he wanted _all_ the answers the raven-haired boy could give…

He _needed_ to know…

"That day I left…" Sasuke trailed off uncertainly. His voice was soft, a little unsure… It was not like him at all, and yet Naruto found himself hanging onto every word that emerged from the stoic boy's mouth. As if he was afraid that the Uchiha might change his mind, then just get up and disappear again…

_As if afraid that this was all another dream…_

"I left that day after we… After… After our relationship became more… _intimate_…" Sasuke's voice was laced with unconcealed embarrassment, as he seemed to search for the correct terms to use. It was as if he was ashamed of the situation, ashamed of what they did… Naruto glanced up, and was saddened by the fact that the usual impassive expression was once again on full display upon the taller boy's visage…

The blonde sighed bitterly. It was to be expected after all…

"You know I'm an avenger…" Sasuke continued, his voice becoming more and more monotonous, devoid of any feeling…

"I had to kill my brother, I had to revenge my clan…" the dark haired boy paused, before his voice became slightly hysterical. "Itachi, that fucking bastard, killed everyone! Everyone I've ever loved… Everyone I've ever been close to… All gone!"

If Naruto was shocked, he hid it well. The Uchiha had never revealed so much about his family before… He knew that Sasuke was an avenger… He had mentioned it when they had first joined team 7 together... He had even heard that his family, the whole of the Uchiha clan, had been massacred in a terrible assassination, although that was never confirmed to him until today… But the blonde never did learn more than that… Even throughout their years of comradeship together, even during all that time the two boys had spent in each other's presence, Naruto never did find out anymore…

"He killed my father, my mother, and left them to die - in front of my very eyes… I saw their bodies; I saw what he did to them!" Sasuke's voice became icy cold. "They died a painful death… They didn't deserve that… None of them deserved that! I promised them all, I promised _every_ single person who died by his bloody hands, that I would avenge them… Avenge them all…"

The blonde bit down upon his lip guiltily. Too consumed in his own childhood sorrows, he never did consider the raven-haired boys feelings on his family… The fact that Sasuke was an orphan never did register in his subconscious… He was always the fortunate one, the respected one, the one that everybody wanted to be… He was gifted, he was _blessed_…

The blonde never gave the Uchiha clan or the role of an _avenger_ a second thought. He preferred to keep thinking that Sasuke was the lucky one, and that he took everything for granted… Like a spoilt brat. It was much easier to hate someone like that… And Sasuke never seemed to care about his family… He never talked about them, he never cried for them… He never _looked_ as if he cared…

He was always cold… Indifferent…

_But what if it had all been a façade? What if he had been hurting inside all along?_

"I had to leave Naruto… I _had_ to kill him…" Sasuke trembled slightly, his voice barely above a whisper. "I had to kill him, for taking everyone, _everything_ away from me… I couldn't stay, I had to leave…"

"But why then?" Naruto blurted out before he could stop himself. "Why did you have to leave then? Why not before, huh? Why not after? Why did you have to leave that one-day after we… After we…" he trailed off uncertainly.

Sasuke stared at him, his black eyes glinting strangely in the dim light. Naruto considered apologising for his sudden outburst, but immediately decided against it. Anyway, judging by the emotionless expression gracing the taller boy's features, the blonde assumed that an apology was unnecessary…

_It didn't appear as if Sasuke cared anyway…_

"I couldn't have stayed with you Naruto…" the voice was soft, unregretful. "We couldn't have been together…"

"You think I don't know that?" the blonde murmured, his tone becoming dangerously low. "You could've stayed… We could've pretended that nothing had ever happened! No one needed to know…" He wanted to get angry, get angry and shout at the stupid bastard! Shout at him for ruining a perfectly good rivalry… For ruining his first real friendship… For being so fucking selfish, for running away… For single-handedly terminating team 7… His first ever family… The only time that he had felt truly at peace… Felt like he _belonged_…

But he couldn't get angry… It just hurt too much…

"It wasn't possible… I couldn't stay, not after what we did…" Sasuke continued, not realising that every word that streamed out of his mouth was cutting painfully into the blonde, like piercing shards of glass.

Naruto struggled for breath as he felt something warm fill his eyes. Was he crying? _He can't cry!_ Not in front of Sasuke… Not in front of _anyone_! Why the hell was he crying for? He had expected this! He had expected these exact words to come tumbling out of the Uchiha's mouth! Because it was true! They _couldn't_ be together! It was repulsive, disgusting, and _wrong_…

_So wrong…_

So it _was_ his fault after all… The raven-haired boy had finally confirmed it… Finally confirmed what had been left unsaid… Finally confirmed the truth that had been breaking his heart piece by piece for 5 years…

That Sasuke left Konoha because of him…

----------------------------------------

Sasuke couldn't help but wince as he saw the sudden pain, the sudden hurt that made itself visible within the blonde's eyes. But as quick as a flash, as swiftly as it had appeared, the raw emotion was gone, replaced by a posture of uncharacteristic rigidness.

Maybe he had imagined it…

The Uchiha sighed bitterly. Damn his conscience… Always playing tricks on him… Especially when there was no chance that Naruto would actually feel _anything_ towards him but hate… Nothing but hate and anger… And he deserved it…

After all, why would Naruto bother with him when he had Hinata?

"I had to find my brother…" he began softly, trying his best to avoid the pain that was slowly consuming him from within - half initiated from his terrible memories and half from Naruto's apparent lack of concern.

The blonde remained oddly silent, but his eyes revealed that he was listening intently.

"I encountered him about 6 weeks later…" Sasuke continued, gazing attentively at his feet, his voice becoming monotonous once again. "I was surprised to see him… He looked so much older, wearier, as if he had suffered a lot during the years we spent apart… Then the hate raged through me… All the hate, the anger, the fury.... I attacked him head on… And ended up in hospital for 3 months…"

The raven-haired boy snorted. "He was so strong… Power I've never even fathomed before… And so I started to train – trained 24 hours a day, only pausing when I became unbearably thirsty or hungry, and only slept against my will when my body collapsed from weariness…" he paused. "Then after about 7 months of intensive training, Sakura appeared…"

Naruto tensed upon hearing the sound of the familiar name.

"She looked after me…" Sasuke continued softly. "She tried to make me live again… But I just couldn't… She didn't understand… She didn't understand that I had to do it… I _had_ to kill him… She made me sleep, made me eat…" he laughed hollowly. "I don't think I would've survived if she hadn't showed up…"

The raven-haired boy glanced up for a response, but found Naruto staring at his feet in mute fascination. It seemed so odd, _too_ odd – the blonde sitting still, and not incessantly rambling away on a random tangent. Unexpected shock gripped him – what if the blonde wasn't listening? What if he had been pouring his heart out to the smaller boy for no particular reason? What if-

"I'm listening…"came a soft reply.

Sasuke felt his heart revert back to its original pace before he continued.

"After about another year of training, I decided to confront my brother again… I knew he was still stronger than me… But I figured that if I surprised him, that maybe that would give me an advantage, give me an edge…" he paused, as sudden bursts of emotion rushed through him, flashbacks of fear, of hate, of anger… "That's when I discovered that I hadn't even begun to see the full extent of his true power…"

The raven-haired boy suppressed a small choke. "I thought I had died… But somehow I woke up, and found Sakura beside me… She had looked after me for 2 weeks while my body was trying its best not to shut down… She had somehow found me, even after I abandoned her to reach Itachi… She… saved me… _Again_…"

It was a strange feeling. He had never spoken so much before in his whole entire life… And never had he imagined revealing so much about himself in one go. Sure it was uncomfortable, being so open, so vulnerable… Naruto now held the power to make or break him… Held the power to mock him, to insult him…

Yet he felt a huge sense of relief to finally get it off his chest… To abandon his worries to the wind… He didn't care about the outcome - he knew he couldn't run forever…

"I spent 6 months recovering… The worse scenario was that I wouldn't be able to walk again… And yet I somehow pulled through… I began training again, ignoring Sakura, ignoring everything she did for me… Not even thanking her for supporting me, for saving me… I began to disappear for days, just to train, just to get away from her…"

"Then about 15 months later, after almost... _almost_ 4 years of constant intensive training, I finally felt somewhat confident… I… I faced him again, and I vowed that it would be my last confrontation. And if I died from it, then so be it…" Sasuke grimaced. "That's how much value I placed on my own life…"

"We were fighting pretty evenly for a while, and I was satisfied, almost proud that my training had paid off so well…" his voice trailed off uncertainly. "But not long after the battle initiated, it was obvious that he was still stronger… I… I became desperate – how was it possible that one person was so powerful? Where did he acquire such power? Why was it that no matter how much I trained, he was always one step ahead?…"

Sasuke's voice trembled slightly. "I recall being knocked to the ground. I was exhausted – I-I couldn't even get up… I remember looking up, and smirking once I realised that my brother was also breathing harshly, and that his left arm looked kinda broken. I was contented then – even if I couldn't beat him, even if I couldn't kill him… The fact was that I had injured him, I had exerted him to his limit... I wasn't so weak anymore… Maybe my training did pay off after all…" he paused. "I was prepared to die then, and die happy…"

Naruto shifted in his position awkwardly, betraying the fact that the taller boy's words haunted him. How could anyone talk about death so coolly? So detachedly?

"But he didn't kill me… Instead, he started to speak… He was so calm, _too_ calm… Hearing his voice again was so strange, almost like a dream… He asked about you, Naruto…" the Uchiha trailed off… "He asked whether I knew you or not… Whether I knew about the power that was sealed inside of you… I told him that I didn't know, that I had heard of you, but you had disappeared from Konoha a long time ago… I didn't know what I was saying, I was just making it up on the spot… But he knew that I was lying… He started to smirk maliciously. That's when he said that he was going to kidnap you, and somehow harness the Kyuubi's power for himself…"

Naruto tensed up, startled.

"Then he commented on how much I looked like him… And he asked whether anyone would notice if he came back to Konoha instead of me… After all, 4 years did a lot to people… It wouldn't be too strange if my appearance changed slightly…"

Sasuke bit down upon his lower lip. "Right then, I wanted to die… Just so that I didn't have to hear him speak… Why was he telling me all this? Its not like I cared! Why wouldn't he let me die in peace…? I-I stopped caring for myself, how could I possibly care about what happened to other people?…"

"But then he said how your body was only a vessel, that he didn't want you but the power within you, that he only wanted the Kyuubi… He said he had to hurt you, somehow make you crack… That when you're overwhelmed by feelings of hate, of anger - only then will the fox be released… Then he started to suggest all these ways to break you…" Sasuke shuddered inwardly as he recounted persistent threats of torture, of destruction, of mutilation…

… But the one that had distressed him the most was the suggestion of rape… Itachi had _actually_ threatened to _rape_ the blonde, whilst pretending to be Sasuke himself…

That's when he snapped.

"The next thing I remember was seeing his body below mine…" the Uchiha murmured weakly. "He was dead…"

"I had killed him…"

----------------------------------------------

_"I had killed him…"_

Naruto shivered as the full realisation of the statement hit him. He had killed someone – killed his brother… _Sasuke had killed his own brother… _

_'To protect me…'_

The blonde idly wondered what Itachi could've said and threatened the younger Uchiha with, to cause the usually composed boy to suddenly snap…

'_At least that means that he doesn't hate me…_' Naruto thought silently. '_And that he didn't disappear just because of me…_' Sudden relief flowed through him, mixed with traces of unrealism. He hadn't expected this… Not in his dreams, not in his thoughts, not in his mind…

He had _never_ expected this…

Sure they were ninjas… Sure ninjas were supposed to kill, were supposed to assassinate… After all, they were nothing but tools used in a clash of will… They weren't supposed to think, weren't supposed to take sides… They were supposed to follow orders, not question them…

In battles, there was no right or wrong. There was only a conflict of views…

And yet Naruto could never bring himself to take away someone's life, someone's hopes, someone's dreams… Some people called him soft, some called him a coward… But he ignored them all. After all, who had the right to dictate whether someone lived to see another day? Who had the right to destroy not just one life, but all the other lives that surrounded the victim?

And so he had adamantly refused to accept any assignments that involved assassinations, no matter well it paid… His values were worth more to him than all the riches in the world…

Though that's not to say that he slacked off, or that he was inadequate as a ninja… It was actually quite the contrary… Whenever his missions involved combat, he fought with everything he had… He disarmed the enemy, knocked them unconscious, and broken limbs if needed be… Even ended their fighting careers if deemed necessary…

But he _never_ killed them…

And he knew that Sasuke felt the same, although he never did voice his opinions… Or rather, the Uchiha _used_ to feel the same…

Naruto suddenly felt very cold.

Silence once again engulfed the two, except this time the silence was tensely unnerving. The rain had all but stopped, and only a faint rustle of the upper branches could be heard from their sheltered positions under the tall tree.

Not another sound could be heard, but the pounding of his own heart…

_Sasuke was a murderer. _

-------------------------------------------

Sasuke sat with his head facing the ground. He felt as if judgement was about to be passed upon him, and he realised ironically that the situation _was_ more or less true… He was waiting for Naruto's reaction, his response to his confession…

_He was waiting for the blonde's judgement… _

The raven-haired boy glanced at his knees. Yes, he enjoyed silence, but even this was too much… Just sitting there with a subdued Naruto just seemed too unreal… Too much like another one of his hallucinations… Panic flared up within him as the possibility that this _was _nothing but a dream crossed his mind… He couldn't go through all this again! It was too much, he didn't want to-

"Wait…" Naruto suddenly spoke out loud, his brows quirking in concentration. "That's 4 years right?… But… You went for 5… So… What did you do during the last year?"

Sasuke paused. It wasn't the reaction he had expected, but then again, he figured that nothing would ever go the way that he had envisioned. Naruto was just too unpredictable…

Well at least the blonde didn't depart in disgust… That was a good thing, right?

"I recovered," he answered shortly, realising how easily he seemed to fall back into his stoic mode. And so soon after his recent confession as well…

"Well of course you recovered," Naruto muttered in annoyance. "But you might as well finish the story while you're at it…"

"Why do you care?" Sasuke asked bluntly, as an image of Hinata flashed up in his mind. He then immediately wished that he could've retracted his words.

Naruto's blue eyes widened in shock and confusion, before anger consumed them from within. But instead of lashing out as Sasuke had expected, instead of shouting, yelling and arguing as they had done only 2 weeks ago, the blonde merely bit down upon his lower lip…

Then the anger died down, as quickly as it had appeared.

"Of course I care…" he whispered uncertainly. "I've always cared…"

Suddenly, Sasuke found himself feeling very much like the bad guy again. He hesitated in confusion. "I'm…" he paused. "I'm… sorry."

No reply.

"I was being an insensitive bastard… I'm sorry." Strange how saying sorry got easier the second time you said it…

This earned him a small smile from the blonde.

"What did you do then, Naruto?" the Uchiha boy asked, his voice surprisingly cool and steady, unlike his insides, which were currently trembling with anxiety and trepidation. "What did you do during the 5 years?"

_Just how many times did you break my heart while I was gone?_

--------------------------------------

Naruto blinked at the unexpected question. Well this was new! Was Sasuke actually _trying_ to make conversation?! Conversation that didn't involve a mission? As in, Sasuke voluntarily speaking? To him? _About_ him?

Where was the cold, aloof and distant Uchiha from 5 years back?!

"Errr…." Naruto stared blankly, frantically wondering whether this was all a ruse. He was half expecting Sasuke to suddenly smirk, '_Baka, don't tell me you actually believed that I care!'_

He shook his head to rid himself of the thoughts.

"I didn't do much… Missions here and there, and training when I had the time…"

"No, I meant what did you _do_…"

"That _is_ what I did…" Naruto answered in confusion. Did Sasuke expect a different answer?

"So you're telling me that all you did in the 5 years was train and complete missions?" the Uchiha asked, raising one impeccable eyebrow.

"Uhm… Well…" Naruto hesitated. "Yeah, I guess so…" he admitted, hanging his head in embarrassment. "Not much of a life huh?" he offered a small smile.

Silence once again made its presence known.

"You and Hinata…" Sasuke murmured softly, his voice barely above a whisper. Naruto wondered why he had sounded so strained, then immediately dismissed it to his overactive imagination. "I… know… I'm… I'm glad you're happy…"

The blonde looked up.

"Huh?" blue eyes blinked in bafflement.

"You seem happy…" the Uchiha trailed off unsteadily.

"Erm… Ok…" Naruto replied uncertainly, not realising that his confirmation was slowly killing the raven-hared boy from the inside. The blonde then wondered what the hell his happiness had to do with Hinata. Actually, what did _anything_ have to do with Hinata?! He searched the taller boy for answers, but was disappointed to find that Sasuke had suddenly found the ground extremely fascinating again…

'_Still a few more hours before dawn…_' the blonde thought silently, as his stomach fluttered uncomfortably. The 5-year… More like 4-year account of the Uchiha boy had taken longer than anticipated, and now that he had finally attained the many answers to his continuous questions, he realised that he didn't feel contented at all…

Yes it was nice to catch up on old times, but he realised that the past was in the past… And sometimes, it was better left that way… Now important things were at hand…

More important things concerning the _present_…

"Hey Sasuke…" Naruto asked, wondering how the hell he was going to phrase this properly. Then he decided to take the blunt and coarse route. "Why the hell are you out here and not at home?"

A sudden tensing of the body was the only indication that the raven-haired boy was listening.

"Sakura's worried sick about you…" Naruto trailed off, a small spark of anger coursing through his system at the thought of the terrible way that his pink haired friend had been treated.

"I was thinking." Short, curt.

"Well couldn't you have thought at home?" Naruto asked in frustration. Strange how he could swing between two extreme emotions with such ease around the Uchiha… One of compassion and one of anger…

"No."

"So you stayed out here for 2 weeks, just thinking? By yourself?" Naruto asked incredulously. Why would anyone want to subject themselves to conditions out here?! When they had a nice warm bed only a few kilometres away?!

"…Yes."

"You're impossible!" Naruto growled in annoyance.

No reply. It seemed as if Sasuke had resumed his impassive mode.

"So are you going to enlighten me on what you were thinking about?" the blonde mocked in irritation. "I mean after 2 whole weeks of thinking, you must've come to a conclusion by _now_…" His words were dripping with sarcasm.

The Uchiha paused as if contemplation. He seemed to hesitate before looking the smaller boy steadily in the eye.

"I'm not marrying Sakura," he answered firmly.

Then Naruto's world came crashing down.

--------------------------------

"What do you mean you're not marrying her?!" Naruto hollered, fury tearing at his insides. "You CAN'T not marry her! She loves you for some fucking unknown reason!"

Sasuke remained silent.

"You bastard! You can't do that to her! You're her life… Her everything goddamnit!" the blonde was desperate. He couldn't let Sasuke hurt her like this! Not again… Not after everything she had been through… Not after he had seen her break down, seen her cry herself to sleep…

Not for the first time, but damn it, it would be the last time if the blonde had anything to do with it!

…and didn't he promise her that everything would be ok?

"I don't love her."

Naruto recoiled in shock. "Whadyameanyadunloveher!?" For fuck's sake, she had looked after him… Looked after him after every fight, after every punishing training session he endured… He must've developed _some_ affection along the way right?! What kinda fucking person was he if he didn't?!

"I don't love her in the way she wants me to."

"Then why the fuck did you ask her to marry you?!" Naruto screeched in vehemence. Was the Uchiha just leading her on? Because if he was just leading her on then he was gonna get his assed properly kicked by one well-known blonde… What kinda sick bastard did stuff like that anyway? He knew how much she adored him! How much she loved him! How she was more than willing to die for him…

He can't just crush her hopes, her dreams… Not when she had finally attained her perfect life…!

'_But her life isn't perfect…_' his conscience reminded him.

"I didn't – she asked me to marry her…"

"Then why the hell did you agree?!" Naruto spluttered in outrage. "You don't play with people's emotions you fucking bastard!" Hurting someone physically was one thing, but emotions should never, ever be played with! To deliberately build up someone's hopes and dreams, then to tear it down single-handedly…

_Sasuke you fucking asshole!_

The blonde was fuming now, and it took every ounce of his willpower to keep his rear firmly on the ground, and not throw himself as a weapon at the stupid boy with the stupidly pretty face…

"I…" Sasuke hesitated. "I can't tell you…"

Naruto was immediately on his feet, his eyes glowing a faint red as memories of the pink haired girl invaded his mind… Sakura crying, Sakura declaring her undying love… Her tears, her pain…

"Have you been cheating on her?" the blonde asked, his voice dangerously low, staring down at the seated boy, successfully intimidating him. His eyes screamed '_If you even dared to look at another woman while dating her, I will rip you apart, limb by limb..._'

Naruto hadn't expected a Uchiha to be unfaithful… They had too much dignity and pride after all, and they always kept to their word… Relationships were almost like a promise, a promise of loyalty, of commitment…

Then again, there was always a first time for everything…

"Of course not!" Sasuke muttered in annoyance.

Naruto relaxed very slightly, then began to pace around the tree, his shoulders visibly shaking from anger.

"You can't do this to her…" he repeated, then spun around facing the raven-haired boy, his eyes wild. "You can't fucking do this…!"

"What do you want me to do then?" Sasuke snapped, his voice increasing in volume by the second. "You want me to lie to her? Participate in a loveless marriage? Is that fair on her?"

"But you can grow to love her…!" Naruto pleaded desperately. "Then it won't be a loveless marriage…" He... He can't do this to her… She's been though too much already!

"I can't…" Sasuke whispered, his voice strangely hollow.

"You can try you bastard!!" Naruto all but screamed.

"What do you think I've been doing for the past year?" Sasuke yelled back, the suppressed finally anger consuming him from within.

"You can fucking try harder then!" the blonde exploded.

"I can't force myself to feel, you moron!" the Uchiha growled bitterly, before tucking his head in between his knees.

Naruto dropped into seating position, the burst of anger, the shouting, the screaming exhausting him… "You can love Sakura… I know you can…" he murmured weakly. "Everyone says it… You make the perfect couple…"

"I can't Naruto…" came the whispered reply, on the verge of breaking down. "I've tried so hard, but… I just can't…"

Naruto trembled bitterly. It was too ironic, too much like déjà vu… Only a few hours ago, Sakura had been repeating the same thing…

Except hers involved loving the Uchiha too much…

"Why then?" the blonde asked dully. "If you're so adamant about this, then tell me the reason… Give me a fucking good enough reason for hurting her, and I'll leave you alone…"

"I…" the Uchiha paused.

"I won't say anything…" Naruto added for encouragement, although he couldn't think of one excuse that was good enough to justify the raven-haired boy's actions… His felt so weary, so tired….

His problems were one thing… But he could usually ignore them and go to sleep… But god, other people's problems were even more strenuous… And the bad thing was, he couldn't just ignore them… Couldn't just switch them off and go to bed…

Especially when they involved his closest friends…

"I can't love her when someone else plagues my mind…" Sasuke whispered ever so softly, and for once, his mask was completely lowered. Pain shone out from within his black eyes, mixed with regret…

A lot of regret…

"I thought no one else was involved?" Naruto muttered, a little distrustingly, trying to ignore the spark of pain that had just attacked his heart.

"That person doesn't love me back… Won't… ever love me back…" the usually composed voice trembled slightly.

"How do you know?" the blonde sighed, wondering how the hell things managed to end up like this… How could Sasuke fall in love with someone else when he had Sakura by his side? But it was obvious that the Uchiha wasn't lying – Naruto could sense the pain within the taller boy, eating at him, tormenting him... The situation was so delicate, _too_ delicate…

"I have no chance…" he whispered softly. "That person… Already has someone…"

"Then why are you giving up on Sakura? If you know you have no chance with this person, then why are you still doing this?" Naruto murmured desperately, clearly not understanding the situation, clearly not comprehending the concepts of love. Which wasn't really surprising – how could you understand something you hadn't felt before?

"I can't Naruto! I just can't!" the reply was harsh and abrupt. "How could I be with her when someone else occupies my mind and my soul? I can't just… Just forget it! It's not fair on her and it's not fair on me!"

"But you just said you had no chance!"

"I don't care Naruto! I don't care if he hates me!" Sasuke was desperate, his eyes glinting strangely, as if he were holding back unshed tears. "I can't deny how I feel… I spent too long in denial and it's eating at me! Can't you see? I've spent so much time running from it… I'm sick of running, sick of hiding… I've run out of places to hide! Don't you understand? You can't just stop loving someone! I've tried… Its not… It's not as easy as that!"

"He owns me, Naruto…" he trailed off, his black hair swept over his eyes, concealing the hurt, concealing the pain. "He owns me - heart, body, mind and soul… He's _in_ my soul… I can't deny him… Even if he doesn't feel the same way… I can't lie to myself, I _won't_ even try to lie to myself…"

"I can't live without him…" he whispered thickly. "I belong to him - I can't just give myself to someone else… Even though he hates me, I can't stop loving him… I promised myself that I'd protect him… And I intend to protect him with my life…"

Naruto's mouth dropped open in surprise for two reasons: number one – Sasuke has feelings!! _And he's actually talking about them!_ And number two – _he_?!

"Uh… He?" Naruto asked dumbly, speaking his mind before he could stop himself.

Sasuke stared at him in dejection.

"It's you…" he murmured softly. "It's always been you…"

The blonde blinked.

"I love you Naruto..."

"_I've always loved you…"_

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End chapter 13

CLIFFHANGERRRR!!!

[ducks from onslaughts of sharp pointy objects]

Eep. It seemed like a good place to end it...

p.s. this had to be the hardest chapter I've ever written... Arghh I'm sorry for any OOCness...

Anyways, please read and review!!! And if you would like to join the mailing list, please leave me a review or mail me at purrfectly679hotmail.com! Thanks loads!

Thanks for reading, and take care everyone

(p.s. if you would like me to reply to your reviews, please leave an e-mail address )


	14. But if I lose the highs, at least I'm sp...

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto.   
**Title**: I think I better leave right now - chapter 14**  
Author**: Purrfectly679 - e-mail purrfectly679hotmail.com for comments and suggestions. Feedback highly appreciated.  
**Rating**: PG-13, angst, bad language. SakuSasu, SasuNaru, HinaNaru  
**Notes**: No spoilers. This is a revised repost. Thank you so much to everyone for the reviews...!

**Previously**: Sasuke has just declared his love for Naruto.

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_"I love you…"_

Naruto blinked. Sasuke… Did Sasuke just say that he loved him?! He shook his head confusedly. No… It couldn't be… Why would the Uchiha say such a thing? Maybe Sasuke _was_ in _love_, but it couldn't be with him…

That would be ludicrous!

Blue eyes stared curiously into black ones, searching for answers to unasked questions. But Sasuke merely stared back, his expression blank. Naruto frowned – maybe that was just a figment of his imagination…

Hell maybe this was _all_ a figment of his stupid imagination!!

The blonde pinched himself, and winced as a spark of pain accompanied his action. That meant… That meant that he was awake… That he _wasn't_ dreaming…

Naruto blinked again, then opened his mouth as if to say something. Then he closed it. Then opened it again. But no words, no sounds came out. But what should he say? What _could_ he say?

Silence descended upon the two once again – one boy lost in his own bewilderment, and the other too stubborn to relieve the other of his confusion.

After all, Sasuke was a man of few words… Why should he repeat himself and ruin such a renowned reputation?

_Unless there was someone else called Narut-_

Suddenly, a new expression – one of comprehension seemed to flit over the blonde's face. And it only took him 8 whole minutes of thinking in silence – certainly a new personal achievement.

Naruto's initial puzzlement slowly evolved, as a certain understanding seemed to dawn upon his face. Then his eyes turned hard, his lips fixed firmly into a scowl.

"You think this is funny?" he spat, his eyes blazing. The words cut through the tense atmosphere like a kunai.

It was now Sasuke's turn to be confused.

"This is a sick joke, Uchiha, even by your standards!" the blonde growled, clearly pissed off at the raven-haired boy's earlier _confession_.

"You think this is a joke?" Sasuke burst out incredulously, his surprise so great that he actually forgot to arrange his usual mask of indifference upon his features.

"Well it's the only theory that makes sense!" Naruto yelled in frustration, ignoring the painful emotions that were beginning to develop inside of him. "How else am I meant to take it, huh? First you say you left cos you couldn't stand me! And now you say you love me? I don't know when you decided to get a sense of humour, but this isn't funny you bastard! This is fucking sick!"

"I'm not joking." Sasuke glared at Naruto, but his voice remained surprisingly cool and steady.

"You have to be joking! You have to be-"

"Look I didn't want this either!" Sasuke yelled, interrupting the slightly hysterical blonde. His expression softened then became slightly pained. "I never planned this… I never planned any of this…" his voice trailed off uncertainly.

Naruto reverted back to doing what he was best at – he blinked. Did that… Did that mean that Sasuke was telling the truth?

That Sasuke… Sasuke _loved_ him?

But that couldn't be true, right? The Uchiha had to be wrong! He was probably just jumping into things, acting upon compulsion! Yeh, that was it! He probably hadn't thought it through yet…

_'You know as well as I know that Sasuke never does anything on impulse…' _his conscience smirked.

Then… Maybe Sasuke had gone crazy! Maybe he was insane! Or maybe he hit his head or something! Yeh that sounded right, or at least politically correct! Why else would the Uchiha boy say something so impossible and utterly ridiculous?!

"Sasuke, I think you hit your head…" Naruto murmured quietly, speaking his mind once again before he could stop himself. Oh well, at least that was more considerate than declaring him mentally unstable.

"Don't mock me." The blonde idly wondered how the hell the Uchiha could mistaken whatever they had between them as love… If Sasuke loved him, then why was he trying to freeze him on the spot with his icy death glare?!

The blonde didn't know much about affection, but surely that directed look couldn't be termed as _healthy love_…

"You need to think about this more, I mean, you're not making sense-"

"I've thought about it for a whole year Naruto."

The blonde paused, his mouth hanging wide open. And for the umpteenth time that night, he was speechless. And we all know that a speechless Naruto was not a familiar thing. Nor a frequent one.

He frowned, his eyebrows knotting in the rare act of contemplation. How was he going to get out of this one now? God, something _bad _must've happened to make Sasuke think in such a stupid and moronic way… Something terrible, and utterly horrid must've overwhelmed him to cause his state of mind to disintegrate so significantly, and so rapidly…

Maybe that had something to do with the food during the engagement party? Wasn't that the day before Sasuke had left?

_Damn Gai and his green homemade casseroles!_

"Look, Naruto…" Sasuke's voice shattered the blonde's train of thought. Blue eyes widened in shock – the Uchiha's voice had sounded so sad, so soft… So hopeless…

"I used to hate you, you know…" the raven-haired boy broke off, as if deciding upon the correct words to use. "I always hated you – hated your smile, your happiness…Even when everyone else was cruel to you, you still had that stupid smile on your face…"

Naruto found himself listening in rapt attention. If this was to support his earlier love confession, then it wasn't going very well… Che, even the naive blonde of Konoha knew that you weren't meant to hate the ones you loved!

"I don't know why but you could always get a reaction out of me…" Sasuke paused, his eyes glinting strangely in the dim light. "I was the last of the Uchiha clan – a genius bloodline… I was meant to be quiet, introverted… To fit the part of the perfect shinobi… I wasn't meant to let my emotions control me… And yet I found myself retaliating, insulting you back… Arguing with you… And all the time I was thinking about how stupid you were, and how pathetic you were…"

A sad smile graced the raven-haired boy's lips.

"I found myself provoking you, just to get a reaction out of you… It was so easy… I felt…" his voice trailed off softly. "I felt… _alive_ when you responded, when you fought back… Seeing all that passion, all that energy directed at me… All those emotions… As if my life was worth living… That someone acknowledged me as a person… As a living, breathing human being and not just some tool used in battle…"

Naruto frowned in confusion. What was the Uchiha on about? Everyone loved him! Everyone acknowledged him! So what the hell was so special about their dysfunctional friendship?

"You were the only one who treated me normally… Everyone else just placed me on a pedestal… As if I were some untouchable being…"

Naruto grimaced. He hadn't thought about it this way before… Sasuke had always _acted_ standoffish… Always been smug, with that arrogant smirk upon his face… So everyone had just assumed that he _ liked_ being treated as superior…

Then again, one should never jump to assumptions…

"I found myself thinking of you… About how annoying you were, about your stupid smile, your stupid dream to become Hokage…"

Naruto frowned. He didn't know whether to feel offended or not at the insult thrown at his dream. He didn't know much, but he did know that Sasuke was doing a really bad job of explaining himself…

"I couldn't stop thinking of you…" Sasuke trailed off. "You were constantly on my mind… In my dreams… That's when I realised that it wasn't normal – it wasn't healthy to think about someone that much… Especially… Especially since you were supposed to be my rival…"

Naruto stared dumbfounded. Sasuke _dreamed_ about him?!

"After my 16th birthday, I realised that it was also the 10th year anniversary of my parent's death… That's when I knew I had to go… I had to fulfil my duty as an avenger…"

"…And I also had to get away from you…"

Sasuke gazed at the floor in fascination as Naruto became overwhelmed with confusion.

"I had to get away from you…" the Uchiha whispered. "I couldn't risk getting closer to you… I was a shinobi – we were supposed to act without emotions – you know, that don't you?" he sounded desperate for confirmation, any confirmation. "Having feelings… Having feelings for _anyone_ would just make me weak… I couldn't afford to be weak, couldn't risk it… Not when I had to face my brother…"

A minute of silence consumed the pair.

"I decided… _promised_ myself to leave the week after… I didn't tell anyone…" he smiled sadly. "It was my duty, my responsibility… I didn't _ want_ anyone's help… I didn't _ need_ anyone's pity…" he looked up.

"I didn't want you to worry about me…" he paused. "I… I really admire that aspect about you Naruto… How you could care about everyone, worry about everyone, even the people who treated you cruelly, treated you with contempt…"

_"…How you could even worry about me…"_

Naruto's head spun around wildly. _Sasuke had just complimented him in complete sentences! _

"Then remember that time you used the sexy-no-jutsu on me?" Sasuke chuckled lightly, although his eyes were still lifeless and empty… Still cold and bare. "I was really panicking inside… I didn't know what the hell you were doing… But then I remembered thinking about how it would've been more effective if you weren't in your stupid female form… How… How I preferred the normal you, the original you…"

He picked up a piece of grass from the ground, then began to play with it in between his thumb and forefinger.

"I think that's when I realised that I was somewhat physically attracted to you…"

Naruto blinked. Sasuke actually preferred _him_ to the infamous sexy-no-jutsu? The famous jutsu that defeated countless ninjas, including the third Hokage himself?!

"Then you found me by the lake… And I don't know what happened… Why I was acting that way… I don't know why I kissed you, and why we… we…" the raven-haired boy trailed off unsteadily. "I think… I think it was because I knew I was going away… And there was a high possibility that I wasn't coming back…" Sasuke paused, his voice trailing off into a whisper.

"I guess I was prepared to die anyway, so why not act upon impulse for once in my life?"

Naruto blinked. So it _was_ all upon impulse… But it still baffled him to no end why it had to be him that was on the receiving end of the sporadic burst of compulsion. Why not Sakura? Or Ino? Or any other goddamn female in the village?

"Being with you, Naruto… had to be one of the best moments of my life…" Sasuke continued, his voice breaking from absolute honesty. "I'm… I'm sorry if I hurt you…"

"But when I woke up, and watched you sleep so peacefully… That's when I realised that I couldn't stay… I… You were so beautiful, Naruto…" the raven-haired boy's voice cracked, as an image of that perfect moment formed in his mind. He closed his eyes in defeat. "I knew… I knew I couldn't stay a moment longer… I couldn't… I couldn't lose the will to leave…"

Naruto ignored the dull pain that was once again starting up within his chest.

"The first year was fine – I hardly ever thought about you… I was training too much to have time to think… I knew I had done the right thing leaving… It was impossible for us anyway, even if I was attracted to you…"

Sasuke paused, and ran his trembling hand through his hair.

"But when I was recovering from my first set of injuries, thoughts of you came back hurtling back at me. I had nothing to take you off my mind – I couldn't train, couldn't even sleep… I couldn't stop thinking about you… About your hair, your smell, the way your eyes used to light up when something amused you… About… About how much I missed you…" Sasuke's voice trailed off into a whisper.

"I tried to convince myself that it was nothing but a crush, that all these feelings, all these thoughts meant nothing… I kept running and running, trying to hide from the truth… But then… I just couldn't deny it anymore… I knew all too well that it was more than a crush…"

"Much more than a simple crush…"

"So I kept reminding myself that if somehow by some bizarre chance… If by some miracle that I might actually survive the next encounter with Itachi, that I still had the duty of resurrecting the clan to fulfil…" the Uchiha paused. "It made everything seem easier… It hurt less… Hurt less that there was a reason, a _real_ reason why I couldn't be with you…"

Sasuke looked up into the sky, his hair draping mysteriously over his dark eyes.

"It was easier to let you go after that… I… There was just no way that we could ever be together… And I knew it… It… It just made everything seem more right... It was better to let you go then let things develop further, ne? Better to forget about you sooner, before it hurt too much to…" he murmured softly.

The choking feeling grew stronger within the blonde's chest.

"To be honest, I didn't expect to see you ever again… Even if I survived the encounter, I planned to move away and start a family somewhere remote… Somewhere away from you…"

Naruto swallowed thickly. This was all too much. Never in his wildest dreams had he ever expected influencing the raven-haired boy in this way before. But why didn't he see it? Why did he never notice it? Was he really so truly and completely blinded by his own anger and resentment?

Or did Sasuke just hide things really well?

And what the hell was this new feeling? This new feeling building up in his chest? Why did it feel as if he were suffocating? As if some unknown weight was pressing down upon him, smothering him, overwhelming him…

"Then Sakura appeared…" Sasuke continued softly, unsettling the silence that had managed to build up again. "Someone from Konoha, from where I grew up… Someone finally cared enough to find me, to worry about me…" he trailed off, his voice wavering slightly.

"And you know what?" his eyes were sharp, glistening, almost crazed. "Instead of feeling happy, feeling grateful towards her… All I felt was bitterness. She had given up her life for me, gave up everything she had, and all I felt was resentment… I knew I was selfish… I… I was being a selfish prick…"

"And yet all I could think about was one thing - the same question plaguing my mind, over and over again…" Sasuke's voice cracked under the straining pressure. "I kept wondering where you were, Naruto… How you were doing… And why didn't you come after me… Why was it Sakura and not you? Wasn't I… _ Wasn't I important enough to you…?"_

Black eyes gazed helplessly into the distance. The Uchiha seemed wary, almost reluctant to relive his memories…

Naruto bit down upon his lower lip. _'I don't know why I didn't go… Maybe cos I was scared…'_ he admitted to himself. _'Maybe I was just too scared and… and just too angry…' _

"I continued to train while Sakura looked after me…" Sasuke's voice resumed the cold and distant tone, interrupting Naruto's thoughts. "I knew she… she loved me, and I didn't want to lead her on… I told her to leave, to forget about me… But she was so stubborn… She just couldn't see that there was no future for us… No future for me…"

"A-After the second fight with my brother, she was the only one there for me… She looked after me until I was well again… But as usual, I ignored her, unappreciated her support… I didn't even thank her…" the Uchiha sighed softly. "She was so tolerant, so forgiving… And all I did was take advantage of her… Of her kindness…"

"I knew she still loved me, even though I had been treating her terribly… She had matured, grown up – I didn't find her annoying anymore and I even enjoyed her company – but I knew that I didn't love her… But I could always try, right? That's when I promised myself, that if I survived the next ordeal, I would try to love her… I promised to treat her good…"

"… And maybe even start a family… To resurrect the Uchiha clan with her by my side… And maybe… Maybe she'd even help me forget you…"

Naruto wondered why he felt as if his heart was breaking.

"But then I left her again to face Itachi for the third and last time. And you know what, Naruto?" Sasuke glanced up, capturing blue eyes in his intense black ones, as his voice trembled uncharacteristically. "When I was dying, all I could think about was you… I hadn't thought about you for years, then all of a sudden, when I was on the brink of death, all I could think about was you…"

Naruto held his breath, the passionate gaze rendering him immobile.

"I kept thinking how nice it would be to see you one last time… That I would die more than happy, just to know that you were ok… That you were happy…" the Uchiha choked slightly, before breaking their connected gaze and stared immediately at his knees.

"Then he started threatening to hurt you… And I don't know why, but it really hurt… Each threat he made tore at me – I felt as if my insides were burning… It made me so angry, and it hurt so much… Oh god, it hurt so much Naruto…" Sasuke whispered hoarsely. "I don't know why, but it hurt so much more than any of his physical attacks…"

Naruto wondered whether the suffering was anything like the pain that he was feeling right then.

"Then the next thing I know he was dead… That's when I knew… That's when I knew that you will always be in my mind, that I couldn't get you out of my mind even if I tried…"

Sasuke took a deep breath, successfully calming his trembling body.

"Remember Haku?" he asked softly, locking his gaze with Naruto's. "Haku, the boy as pure as snow… Remember what he said?"

Naruto nodded slowly in confirmation, as if reliving the encounter with Haku the ninja in a far away dream. "He said that true power came from protecting the people that were truly special to us… From protecting the people we… we loved…" the blonde's voice was dry and hoarse from the lack of use. He smiled weakly. "I could never forget that…"

The Uchiha merely nodded. "That's when I realised… I realised that having emotions didn't make you weak – in fact, it made you stronger… I was wrong thinking that they were a sign of weakness… All those years, I was wrong… I realised that… that you were my special someone..." he trailed off. "To protect you, I had enough power to kill my brother…"

"You… You saved me Naruto…"

Naruto glanced up, and saw the gratitude within the raven-haired boy's eyes. Sudden pain tore through him. He wanted to scream, wanted to shout. Why was Sasuke doing this to him? He didn't save him!! He didn't save anyone! He _couldn't_ save anyone! He was weak, pathetic… He didn't want to know about this, any of this! He didn't want to feel… He didn't want the pain… He didn't want to feel the pain again…

Why did it hurt so much? Why the hell did it hurt so much?

And why was Sasuke breaking his heart all over again?

--------------------------------------

"The year after, Sakura looked after me again… I… I couldn't return to Konoha… I had nothing there, apart from memories of you… And I knew that we could never be… There was just too much against us… Also I had the suspicion that you hated me…"

"Hated me for leaving so abruptly… Hating me for what we did…"

"So I decided to fulfil my promise… I had nothing to live for apart from her… I had no goal, I had no dream… Except the new one I assigned myself to keep her happy…"

"In a way, she saved me again… She gave me a reason worth living for…" Sasuke trailed off uncertainly. "I knew it was selfish… I didn't love her and I think she knew that… But I was willing to try… And she was willing to let me try…"

Sasuke glanced up, his eyes betraying the hopelessness within.

"She asked me to marry her… And I couldn't say no… I had nothing left... Its not, it's not as if she was my last resort, but-but I thought… I thought that maybe being engaged would make it easier for me to love her…"

"Love her and forget you…"

"It was meant to be easy… I wasn't meant to see you ever again… And we were supposed to start a new family somewhere peaceful and quiet… Somewhere new… Away from everything… Away from my memories…" Sasuke's voice cracked painfully.

"But then she wanted to return, return to Konoha… I was against it at first, but she convinced me that we didn't have to stay… She just wanted to see everyone one last time… To see that they were well… That they were happy…"

"I was adamant. I couldn't… couldn't risk going back… But then she started to cry… The first time I've ever seen her cry…" the Uchiha's voice trailed off with frustration. "I was supposed to make her happy but I had made her cry instead… I couldn't even fulfil this one simple task! So I decided to return… Just one last time… I could grant her that at least… She was there for me for 4 years… I owed her that at least…"

Sasuke gazed at Naruto again, searching him, yearning to see some reaction, some emotion… Some indication that the blonde was listening, and that he wasn't spilling his guts out upon deaf ears…

"That's why I've been cold and distant towards you…" Sasuke continued, with a trace of desperation. "I couldn't risk it… But when I saw you again, everything came rushing back at me…"

"I was falling for you all over again…"

He buried his head in his hands as his last words choked him. He knew that Naruto didn't care… But surely… The blonde must have felt something…? Anything…! He didn't care, even if the only emotion were anger and hate… At least that meant he existed…

That he was acknowledged…

"Why?" Naruto spoke up, for the first time in a long period of silence. His eyes looked strained, as if he were coping with an extremely large and invisible burden. "Why now?" he whispered. "Why can't you marry her? Why hurt her even more? You knew how much she sacrificed to be with you…"

The blonde took a shaky breath. "How can you… How can you just hurt her like that…?"

Sasuke felt his chest tremble. He knew he was selfish. He didn't deserve Sakura… He didn't deserve her love, her care…

Maybe he didn't deserve anyone…

But he didn't plan to hurt her… She was the last person, apart from the blonde, that he would ever plan to hurt… ever hurt deliberately… When the Uchiha had accepted the proposal, he had honestly thought that he could get over Naruto… That the memories would fade… Fade with time… And become nothing but distant recollections of the past… The past that he was so desperate to forget…

_The past that could never be._

"I wasn't meant to see you again…"Sasuke whispered. "I tried, Naruto…I really tried… I tried to love her… Make her happy… But all I could think about was you… I kept comparing her to you…"

"Why are you telling me this?" Naruto interrupted, his voice hoarse and overwrought with barely constrained emotion. "Why are you doing to this to me? You know we can't be together…" he trailed off.

"We can never be together!" The final statement was assertive, confident, strong.

Sasuke smiled sadly. He had expected this… He had prepared himself, anticipated the inevitable rejection… After all, Naruto had Hinata now… He was happy…

And that's all that mattered, right?

So why was it, that when the inescapable words of rejection were finally spilled from the blonde's lips, that the Uchiha felt his world shatter and fall apart? Why was it, that although he had expected this, and had even prepared himself for the inevitable, that he felt his heart crack, splinter and disintegrate all at once?

And why was it, that no matter how he tried, he just couldn't give up?

_Why couldn't he ever give up loving him?_

---------------------------------------------

Silence dominated the pair once again – as the unanswered question rang shrilly through the tense atmosphere. '_Why? Why are you telling me all this? Why are you telling me now?' _

_'Why tell me when you know it's impossible?'_

Naruto had never felt so confused in his life. He was apprehensive, angry, scared… He was scared of the situation, scared of Sasuke, scared of the desperate emotion contained within the Uchiha's words…

He was scared of his own feelings…

And one part of him was still disbelieving of the whole situation – it was just _too_ surreal… Even in his wildest dreams, the most outrageous scenarios somehow only involved a forgiving Sasuke and promises of undying friendship…

He had never _ever_ expected Sasuke to declare his love… So seriously, so honestly…

_So hopelessly. _

Just three words – three words was all it took - for their somewhat friendship to be torn apart… The basis of everything that Naruto had ever known had been broken, tossed, hurled carelessly into the wind… In that one instant, his world shattered into a million dispersing pieces – pieces and parts he could never reclaim…

Just like that… Just one statement and now the ball was in his court… He had the power to control the situation, to control their destinies… To influence their futures…

Naruto hated it. He hated the suffocating feeling of responsibility… He hated the fact that his decision could make or break the two most important people in his life… His _special_ people… The people he would gladly die protecting…

But how could he choose? How could he choose between them? Between Sasuke's happiness and Sakura's?

And how did he himself feel? Did he love Sasuke? And did that even matter?

How was he _supposed_ to feel?

"Why?" Naruto repeated softly, using everything - _anything_ to distract his erratic thoughts, his restless mind… To delay stating the inevitable decision that he knew he had to undertake…

"Why, Sasuke?" he whispered, his blue eyes pleading desperately for some answers, some explanations… Searching franticly for the responses that may or may not shed some light upon his confusing predicament…

"Maybe… Maybe I just want to be forgiven…" came the soft reply. The Uchiha's voice was smooth and velvety, sending shivers up the blonde's spine…

Sasuke gazed up, admiring the half veiled night sky in between the tall tree branches. He was intoxicatingly calm, as if this was something that needed to be done - needed to be said - no matter the consequences…

"I think… I think I just want to be forgiven…"

-----------------------------------------------

"You told me all this out of guilt?!" Naruto burst out incredulously, unable to conceal the disbelieving expression upon his face.

"Yes," Sasuke answered simply. He just wanted to be forgiven… He wanted to make amends, to apologise for leaving so abruptly all those years ago… He wanted forgiveness from Naruto, from Sakura…

And most importantly, he wanted to forgive himself…

"I don't believe you!" Naruto growled, his voice gradually rising in volume.

Sasuke smiled softly.

"Why-why do you care so much about forgiveness, huh?" the blonde asked in desperation. "What…. What happened to the real Sasuke? The Sasuke I used to know? He didn't give a fuck about forgiveness! He was strong… He… He didn't care about what other people thought!! I used to admire him! He… You… When did you start caring about everyone…!! When did you start to care…"

The blonde was on the verge of hysteria, as if everything he had ever known, everything he had ever understood in his life had been harshly taken away from him… Stolen, modified then brusquely returned, without time for him to adjust to the new system and the new rules…

"You're not everyone else, Naruto…" the Uchiha whispered, tenderness which once seemed impossible laced his soft tone of voice. "I don't know how many times you want me to repeat this… But you're everything to me…"

Black eyes gazed up sincerely, yet hopelessly at the same time. "I meant it when I said you owned me, Naruto… You own me heart, mind, body and soul… From that very first kiss we shared… From that moment in time, I was hooked… One kiss and I was yours for eternally… You invade my mind, my thoughts, my dreams… I can't let you go…"

Sasuke paused uncertainly, as his voice trailed off into a whisper. "I can never let you go…"

Naruto clenched his fists together, as the pain in his chest increased its intensity to an all time high. "Why are you doing this to me?" he asked, his voice hoarse under the strain and pressure of his words. "You know we can never be together!"

"I know…" the raven-haired boy smiled sadly, as he diverted his gaze to anything but the pair of hurt blue orbs in front of him. "But… I can't lie to myself anymore…"

"Why not?! You're looking for my forgiveness right? Well I forgive you!" Naruto flailed desperately. "Just don't break Sakura's heart! Please… Just… Just don't hurt her anymore!"

"I can't…" Sasuke whispered uncertainly. Why was Naruto doing this to him?

"You can!" Naruto yelled, his fists curled up tensely into tight balls. "You say you love me right? Then do me a favour!! Marry her! Please, Sasuke! Marry her…" his voice croaked. "Marry her… for me…"

Sasuke stared at the blonde, with an expression of unconcealed hurt. Why was Naruto trying to force him into a loveless marriage? "That's not fair, Naruto…"

"You'll do anything for me r-right?" the blonde stuttered in anguish. "If you really loved me, you'd do this for me!"

Sasuke felt his eyes start to sting. Why was Naruto doing this to him? Wasn't it enough that he had bared his soul to the smaller boy, knowing very well that his heart would be crushed? Wasn't it enough that he was willing to give up everything for the blonde? Willing to give up his chance of happiness because of his undying dedication…

Wasn't it enough that he was going to remain the last of the Uchiha clan? He even gave up his duty of resurrecting the bloodline, just to prove his love…

_What more did Naruto want?_

"I would die for you!" Sasuke stated hoarsely, the anger flashing faintly in his eyes. And yet the blonde could tell that the ever so clichéd statement came straight from the heart. He had no doubt that the Uchiha would die for him, die for him willingly and gladly. "But you're asking me to marry someone I don't love! You can't ask me to do this, Naruto! It's not fair!"

"But you-you can grow to love her!" Naruto cried despairingly.

"I can't!" Sasuke threw his arms up into the air in frustration. "How many times do I have to tell you?" An almost wild look possessed his eyes. "I love y-o-u. ** I love y-o-u Naruto**. I can't marry her! Why… Why won't you understand?"

A raw desperation gripped his heart.

_'I know its not much, but I've given all I can… What more do you want from me, Naruto?' _

_'And what more could I possibly give?'_

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Naruto grimaced in pain as the ache in his chest attacked him once more. Every single time that the Uchiha muttered those 3 words, he felt as if a cold knife was being plunged into his heart…

Why oh why did it have to hurt so much?

The whole situation had taken a very serious turn – at this rate, Sakura would soon end up as an ex-fiancée, and woe behold – it would be his fault again…

That is… It _would_ be his fault, _if_ the engagement ended…

Naruto smiled bitterly. There was no way, NO WAY, that he'd let Sasuke break it off… The wedding would go on, even if it was the last thing he did… He made a promise to Sakura and he intended to keep it. He'd save her happiness even if it did mean sacrificing his own…

And how would he do that? Simple. He'd just have to make Sasuke fall out of love with him – or out of what the raven-haired boy _thought_ was love. He had to remove the Uchiha's head out of the clouds – make him see sense… That he couldn't possibly love him…

He was nothing but a demon... And demons shouldn't be loved. Demons _couldn't_ be loved.

_Especially by an angel._

"You're wasting your time," Naruto muttered, curtly. "I know what you're trying to do and it isn't working. I don't love you Sasuke, I've never loved you, and I will never love you. Don't you understand?"

The blonde felt a ripple of burning guilt surge through him as the Uchiha visibly tensed at his words. He felt his cold pretence start to waver, but willed himself to stay strong. He had to be strong… It was for the best …

"I can't love you Sasuke…" his voice was harsh and distant. "You're too cold, too unfeeling… And that night… That night between us should never have happened! It was a mistake!"

"And I regret that night with everything I have… It's wrong, Sasuke…"

Naruto wondered why his own words were tearing his insides apart.

"I don't care…" came the broken whisper.

Naruto bit down urgently upon his lower lip as the pain in his chest flared. Images of Sasuke and Sakura flashed up in his mind. Images of the two holding hands, smiling, kissing… Making love… Images of the pair simply holding each other…

They were perfect together! Why couldn't Sasuke see that?

"There's no point staying like this. There's no chance for us… You might as well make someone happy – and Sakura needs you… You'll have something, _someone_ worth living for again… It doesn't have to be me-"

"Don't think I love you because of some duty!" Sasuke barked, interrupting the blonde's train of thought. "I love you because I do, Naruto, not because I _ needed_ something to do! Don't you ever mock my love for you! Don't you dare take my feelings for you lightly!"

Naruto felt his flesh rip apart, as the three words were once again spoken out loud.

'_I wasn't mocking you!_' he wanted to cry. _'I'm so scared, Sasuke… Oh god, I'm so scared… I don't know how to feel!' _

But no words came out of his mouth. Instead, his gaze hardened and his lips began to press firmly together, concealing the turmoil that was whirling hazardously inside of him.

It wasn't working… Why weren't his words working…?

He needed to take things to a new level.

"You're just being selfish, Uchiha," he murmured softly, danger lacing his low tone of voice, emphasising the hostility in using his ex-rivals surname. "You haven't changed… You haven't changed one bit…" he laughed harshly. "And to think, I actually thought you had turned over a new leaf!"

Naruto took a deep breath, his expression passive and devoid of any emotion but one – an emotion bordering on the edge of anger.

"You're still the selfish brat you've always been! Never giving anyone else's feelings another thought! Don't you care about Sakura? She gave everything for you! EVERYTHING! And you just use her like that?" his voice grew in volume, until he was almost shouting.

"And what about your oh so precious clan huh? You just going to leave it? Die as the last Uchiha? Let the whole prestigious bloodline die out for no good reason except your own damn selfishness? For someone who will never love you? _For someone who could never love you? _Where's the pride huh? Where's the Sasuke I used to know? Where's the Sasuke that kept every promise? And fulfilled every duty? WHERE IS HE?!" Naruto shouted in rage, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles became white.

Sasuke flinched.

"I don't know why she gives a fuck about you, Uchiha! I certainly wouldn't! But she does! And whether I like it or not, you're the only one who can make her happy! So if you fucking hurt her, I swear, I'll never forgive you! Then you can kiss your stupid 'forgiveness complex' goodbye!"

Naruto slumped back onto the ground after his outburst. He winced from the pain attacking him from all sides – attacking his chest, his heart his mind. Why did it all have to end up like this? Why did Sasuke have to leave 5 years ago? Why couldn't he have stayed? Maybe… Maybe things could've turned out differently!!

_Maybe it wouldn't have hurt so much…_

"I'm sorry Naruto…"came the soft answer, so soft, so gentle – so _understanding_ that it make Naruto sick to the stomach. Why did the Uchiha have to be like this? Why wasn't he screaming at him? Arguing back? Insulting back?

_Why did he have to understand??_

"If that's how you feel…" the Uchiha's voice stifled, as he glanced up, capturing blue eyes with his own black ones. Emotions poured out from the two pupils – rare emotions, feelings hardly ever seen upon the usually passive boy's features… His eyes… They… They were like the windows to his soul…

Naruto choked back a sob as he realised that inside, there was nothing but despair and hopelessness. Sasuke had an empty soul… It was barren, blank, cold… Devoid of warmth... It was as if…

_ As if the Uchiha had given up all faith…_

_'I don't feel that way!'_ he wanted to scream. _'Don't look at me like that… Oh god, Sasuke, please don't look at me like that!' _

"It's how I feel," Naruto answered, softly but firmly, wondering how the hell he managed to keep his emotions in check. Why did it have to end up like this?

"I'm sorry…" Sasuke whispered. He inched closer towards the blonde and stretched out a hand tentatively, then brushed the side of his face ever so softly. Naruto tensed, his eyes fluttering close, trying his best not to lean into the warmth, in the gentle caress…

But he didn't pull away either.

"I'm sorry for everything…" Sasuke continued to whisper, his voice thick from emotion, emotion that used to be so rarely displayed upon the stoic boy's features. His smooth fingers gently traced down the side of Naruto's face until they rested lightly under his chin.

Naruto shivered. _What was Sasuke doing? Why was he doing this to him? _He could feel the warmth radiating outwards from the taller boy… He could feel the power, the strength under those fingertips… And yet they were so gentle, so soft…

Then Sasuke leaned in slowly. Naruto could smell him, feel the heat intensifying. His heart rate picked up speed, from a mixture of both fear and anticipation. _He didn't want this!_ _He didn't want any of this… _

_Did he? _

Naruto felt a light pressure upon his lips. Then it was gone… So soft, quick, chaste… So shy.

The blonde opened his eyes dazedly, suppressing the sudden yearning, the sudden _longing_ that built up inside of him… He wanted more contact, more warmth…

"I… Just answer me one thing, Naruto…" Sasuke murmured softly, so calmly that it made Naruto wonder whether the kiss was just another figment of his imagination. "Do… Do you think things would've ended up differently if I hadn't left?"

Silence seemed to stretch for an eternity.

"I don't know…" Naruto murmured honestly, looking at the ground, trying his best to calm the raging hurt boiling within him.

Sasuke smiled softly. "I'm sorry things turned out like this…"

Naruto glanced up, and his breath caught in his throat as he realised that the raven-haired boy was crying. Tears were streaming lightly down his cheeks, sparkling in the dim light.

_But… But angels shouldn't cry!_

"I have very few regrets in my life, but you know what I regret the most?" he continued to ask, his voice trembling ever so slightly.

Naruto shook his head – his heart hurt too much for him to think let alone answer coherently.

"It's letting Itachi take away yet another person that I loved…" the Uchiha smiled bitterly. "Strange how he could do that, even if it was achieved inadvertently…"

Naruto wanted to scream, wanted to shout. '_But I have to do this Sasuke! Don't you understand? I have to! We can't be together! We just can't! You don't really love me! You can't love me… I'll just end up cursing you, ruining you, hurting you…' _

_'You'll end up hating me… I don't want you to hate me… I don't think I could ever stand you hating me, looking at me with cold eyes…'_

_'Then you'll leave me… I don't want you to leave me! I can't risk loving you, then going through all the pain when you leave! Don't say you won't leave me, because you will… You'll leave me again, just like everyone else… And I can't bear losing you… Not again… It's too painful…'_

_'And there's Sakura! We can't do this to her! She's given everything for you! I can't be that selfish, to accept you, ruin her life, then only to have you leave me afterwards! You can't love me Sasuke, no one can! No one can love a demon… Might as well save us all the pain… Don't you understand? Please understand, please… Please don't hate me…!'_

He wanted to say all of it, but he couldn't.

"I'm…Sorry…" was all Naruto managed to murmur, before his vocal chords collapsed from the crushing pressure upon his throat.

"I just want you to know that I'll always love you…" Sasuke whispered, before he stood up to leave. He glanced back one final time, as he locked his sorrowful gaze with the blue eyes in front of him. "And even if you think that night was a mistake, it was still the best night of my life. I'll… I'll never forget it…"

"I…Goodbye Naruto…"

Then the Uchiha boy left.

Naruto stared dumbly at the spot that Sasuke was last standing in. He choked back another sob, trying his best to get last the image of the raven-haired boy out of his mind…

The hurt… The tears… The sparkling tears… It was the first time that he had ever seen Sasuke cry… So honestly, so vulnerably… S_o sad, so hopelessly…_

So much emotion. So much pain.

Why did things have to turn out this way? Was he always destined to be cursed, no matter what he did? But he had done the right thing, right?

_He had done the right thing!_ Everything will turn out for the best! Sakura will be happy, then over time, Sasuke will forget about him… Sasuke will forget about him and fall in love with her… Like he was supposed to… Like he was destined to…

They'll all forget about him…

Then everything would be perfect. Absolutely perfect.

The blonde bit down upon his lower lip, then felt something warm and wet enter his mouth. Warm, wet and salty…

That's when he realised that he was crying too. Tears continued to pour down his face, relentlessly, like a damn that had been cruelly torn apart and broken beyond repair. Years of hurt, years of pain, or rejection, of dreams…

That's when he realised. The anger, the resentment hadn't been from hate at all… Oh no… The fury - the rage - it was all sparked by one emotion that Naruto could only fully comprehend just now…

It was love... _ Unrequited love…_

Blue eyes widened momentarily as the realisation struck. Then they immediately softened again – it wasn't that much of a shock… Some part of him, some part of him deep down inside had always sensed, had always _known_ that he harboured some kind of feelings, some kind of affection for the raven-haired youth…

So he loved him. It wasn't that surprising. _Not really_. And it wasn't as if his sudden discovery would make much difference anyway…

"I love you too…" he whispered quietly into the wind, knowing very well that his confession had just fallen upon deaf ears.

Tears continued to fall as the man that he loved disappeared into the distance. Sasuke had left again. Not for the first time, but most probably for the last time… And it was his fault. He had driven the Uchiha away. He had even made him cry. He couldn't forgive himself for that…

_He could never forgive himself for making an angel cry._

"Don't…leave…me…" he whispered in broken gasps, his chest heaving with the effort of forming coherent words…

But it was too late. He was gone.

The pain flared up once again in his chest… Attacking him, suffocating him… Why did it have to turn out like this?

_Why_?

And why did it _ still_ have to hurt so much?

It made him wonder - _ was it even possible to break an already broken heart?_

---------------------------------

Sasuke sprinted blindly away from the clearing, away from the boy that had haunted his dreams for 5 years… Away from the one person he loved - the person he had always loved.

Tears obstructed his vision, never ceasing, never conceding…

He just had to accept it – Naruto just didn't love him. He has never and would never love him… He was foolish to confess his feelings. It had gained nothing but pain.

He had given everything – sacrificed everything, yet everything wasn't enough… _ Everything just wasn't enough for Naruto…_

_He had given all he had to give…_

An image of Hinata flashed painfully into his mind. Naruto and Hinata hand in hand, smiling at each other... The two kissing... Making love... Sweet, caring Hinata... Everything he was not...

_Everything he could never be..._

"Stay happy Naruto… Even if that means being with someone else… Even if that means being with Hinata…" he whispered softly, wondering why the hell he was still hurting so much. Why was he hurting when he knew that this was going to happen? He had expected this!

_'I'm sorry Naruto… I'm sorry for everything… And if marrying Sakura makes you happy, then so be it…'_

It was worth it – as long as it made Naruto happy…

Anything was worth it for him...

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End chapter 14

I've always wanted to write a fic that made people cry... I'm not sure if I've achieved it, but I've realised that whatever I write never affects me... As in, I didn't find this sad one bit... Or maybe that's just me... (then again I am feeling strangely solemn)

Please review - I'd love to hear your opinions on this chapter... (please leave an email address if you want a reply to your reviews)

And sorry if Sasuke seems OOC. Then again he has been keeping this all in for 5 years, the poor guy... He's kinda cracked if you know what I mean, as in he can't control it... And the 'forgiven part' is from the final fantasy vii - advent children trailer. Looks good huh?

and if you would like to join the mailing list, please email me purrfectly679hotmail.com, or leave me a review with your email address in it...


	15. Now I tremble in your arms

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto. Stop rubbing it in .  
**Title**: I think I better leave right now - chapter 15**  
Author**: Purrfectly679 - e-mail purrfectly679hotmail.com for comments and suggestions. Feedback highly appreciated.  
**Rating**: PG-13, angst, bad language. SakuSasu, SasuNaru, HinaNaru  
**Notes**: No spoilers. This is a revised repost. Thank you so much to everyone for the reviews...!

**Previously**: After Naruto tells Sasuke to leave, he admits to himself that he loves the Uchiha...

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Naruto didn't recall going home. He didn't recall going to bed, nor did he remember falling asleep. Dreams of crying angels haunted him, but he didn't appear to be affected…

In fact, one could argue that he didn't appear to be alive.

Sure he was breathing, and his heart was beating… But his eyes… His eyes were dead, emotionless…

His soul was bare…

…Could an empty soul truly be considered as living?

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Naruto woke from his restless slumbers at the sound of someone knocking on his front door. He stared blankly at his ceiling. He didn't want to get up…

Getting up meant facing the world… Facing the world meant he had to feel…

And feeling meant he had to hurt...

He didn't want to hurt… He didn't want to hurt anymore…

_Knock, knock! _

He glanced at his bedside clock. 12.35pm. It was that late already? _'Not that it matters…_' he thought sullenly. He had nothing to do anyway – might as well stay in bed… Where it was warm… Where no one could hurt him…

_Knock, knock, knock, knock! _

He burrowed deeper into his covers, as he willed his thoughts towards a different direction… Away from his persistent dreams, away from the dark-haired, dark-eyed boy that haunted his waking life… Away from his shattered heart…

Away from Sasuke.

_Knock, knock, knock! _

Naruto flung back his covers and stared dully at the door. He considered getting up and facing the determined visitor just to get rid of the incessant knocking. The shrill tapping was really starting to get on his nerves…

_Knock, knock! _

He sighed and buried deeper into his covers, drowning out the noise, drowning out the light, drowning out the whole of humanity… He felt comfortable, warm and safe cocooned in his own little world… His own little world where nothing existed but him…

In his world, darkness reigned… And in the darkness there was no light… No fire to burn… No flame to scorch… No pain to endure… Sure it was a dark world – but there was no risk of getting hurt… No risk of suffering… No risk of love…

It was a somewhat comforting world…

_Knock, knock, knock! _

Naruto stared blearily at the door, mentally urging the unwanted guest to leave. He opened his mouth to speak, to shout, to _ insist_ that the visitor departed immediately… He just needed a little more time! Didn't they understand? Just a little bit longer… It would hurt less with time, right? He survived 5 years without _him_! And he could survive 5 more!

_He didn't need him!_

…Naruto grimaced bleakly. So why did that statement seem so unconvincing, even to his own ears?

_Knock, knoc-_

A heavy sigh.

Naruto perked up. It seemed as if the visitor had given up. Finally. Now he could get back to bed, back to the warmth and-

There was a tap of pen upon paper against the wall, then the unmistakable sound of something being shoved under his front door.

Naruto frowned. If someone bothered to write him a note, then it must be _ somewhat_ important…

Sighing in resignation, he stumbled out of his warm haven to retrieve the crumpled document off the floor. He opened it with shaky hands, then read it slowly… Then he read it again… His initial passive expression slowly developed into a bitter grimace.

Finally, after what felt liked forever, he screwed up the sheet of paper, threw it in the nearest bin, then promptly collapsed back upon his bed…

It was hopeless… _Everything_ was hopeless...

And he no longer cared.

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Sakura glanced irritably at her watch for the umpteenth time that night, wondering where the hell everybody was. Her skin was less pale than the night before, and if you looked closely, you could just see that the sparkle had somehow made its way back into her green eyes…

She smiled – she was glad that things were finally back to normal…

"Can I take your order now?" an annoyed waiter asked in exasperation, once again walking over to the lone pink haired girl seated at the table reserved for four. He had asked her that question at least 5 times now – and even if she wasn't getting aggravated, he surely was!

Sakura sighed and glanced at her watch dejectedly. "Yeh, I guess… I'll have a chicken ramen then…"

The waiter shot her a glare before stalking off towards the direction of the kitchen. The pink haired girl shrugged. What was his problem? She sighed, before resting her head upon her arms, which were perched lazily upon the tabletop…

POOF

"Yo."

Sakura glared. "You're late!"

Kakashi grinned and ran his hands through his messy hair. "Sorry, this old lady got stuck up a tree and her cat asked me to save her…"

Green eyes blinked.

"Err… I mean the other way round…"

Sakura sighed. Again. "Oh well… At least you're only an hour late this time… And not your usual 3 hours…"

"Hmm... Maybe I'm losing my touch…" the silver haired jounin grinned slyly. "Anyway, where are the other 2?"

"They're late…" Sakura murmured softly.

Kakashi hid a frown. Late? The two were _never_ late…

The older man grabbed a seat and promptly sat himself down. "How's Sasuke?"

"He's fine…" Sakura replied, while busy fiddling with a strand of pink hair. She wasn't lying – not really… He _was_ fine… If you took away the fact that he looked a complete mess, he was on the verge of collapsing from fatigue, and that his eyes were painfully red…

It was obvious that he had been crying, but when she had confronted him about it, he had gotten all defensive, as if it had been some huge insult… Further investigation resulted in the rough growl of _"Why the hell would I cry?"_ before a prompt slamming of the bathroom door as the Uchiha engaged in a much-needed shower.

But Sakura wasn't fooled. He had been crying, she was _sure_ of it. After all, he may be good at concealing his emotions beneath that ice mask of his, but the evident tear-track marks down his cheekbones gave the real truth away.

This action triggered the crucial question – just _why_ had Sasuke been crying?

"Did he tell you what happened?" Kakashi asked, his expression somewhat serious – not that she could tell behind the mask…

"He mumbled something about Naruto finding him, before he literally collapsed from exhaustion…"

'…_collapsed conveniently in the spare bedroom_,' she added silently to herself. She sighed inwardly. It wasn't that strange, not _really_, but… But she had really missed him… And she had hoped that he would spend the night in _their_ bed for once… Especially since he had disappeared for so long…

"…So I decided to ask him the questions later… He needed the rest…" Sakura explained, although she wasn't sure whom she was trying to convince anymore… She smiled sadly – she doubted that she'd ever understand the enigma that was Uchiha Sasuke…

"Ah so Naruto pulled through once again!" the copy ninja of Konoha grinned proudly, as if the blonde boy were his own son. "Where is that klutz anyway?"

"I don't know…" Sakura admitted. She had visited him earlier, but he wasn't at home… She guessed that he must've been training or something… So she left him a note instead, inviting him to dinner at Ichiraku's… And that had been about 7 hours ago…

All musings were cut short as the chicken ramen was swiftly delivered by the agitated waiter. Kakashi raised an eyebrow in interest, before ordering a bowl of beef ramen.

The pink haired girl started to eat, ignorant of the fact that she was probably being rude… Maybe she should've waited for the others to arrive before she dug in, but the inner and easily irritated part of her argued that it was their own fault for being so damn late. Anyway, ramen didn't taste that nice when it was cold…

Not that she particularly _liked _ramen or anything… She never did understand her ex-teammate's obsession with the synthetic tasting processed food… It had the unique texture of dry cardboard, looked like processed plastic dipped in grease, and was full of flavourings and artificial colourings… (Not mentioning the fact that it was _extremely_ unhealthy…)

Although… It _was_ extremely amusing to see that during every mission – no matter where he went, nor what he did - the blonde loud-mouthed ninja of Konoha never neglected to mention the dreaded ramen word… Whether in his sleep, or in one of his heated debates with Sasuke that always went off at a random tangent, Naruto had always managed, at every opportunity, to refer to his favourite plastically processed noodles…

… Which was the reason that Sakura was actually beginning to get quite worried. She had suggested going Ichiraku's, contrary to her own preferences, _specifically_ for Naruto…

Call it a token of gratitude for helping in the search for Sasuke…

So why wasn't he here? She knew that the blonde would never turn down the offer of free ramen…

…Unless… Unless he didn't get her note… Maybe… Maybe he was still training, and hadn't returned home yet? …

And Sasuke… Well, it wasn't really _that_ strange that the Uchiha didn't make an appearance… Maybe he was just too tired… Or maybe he was in another one of his anti-social moods again…

Sakura frowned amidst her rapidly cooling noodles.

Maybe this dinner wasn't such a good idea after all…

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Kakashi burped jovially as he exited Ichiraku's 2 hours later. Sakura had initially wanted to stay longer – just in case there was a slight chance that the two missing boys were both running extremely late – but the waiter had finally snapped and chucked the pair out.

"And I know your forehead's big, but it doesn't require two seats for itself!" he had shouted irritably, before slamming the door in front of an irate Sakura.

Kakashi chuckled light-heartedly, as he restrained a kicking and screaming pink haired girl swearing revenge, extreme torture and severe pain.

"Sakura – that's no way for a girl to act!" he had commented, with glee visibly shining in one eye. He was secretly pleased though – it seemed Sakura was back to her old self – the carefree, violent and happy girl that he had once known…

There was no evidence of the girl that had cried her eyes out on his doorstep only 2 days ago…

Sakura had the decency to blush. "Uhm… I guess I better go home and check on Sasuke then… Arigato… For coming that is…"

"That's alright… But… Uh… Sakura?"

Sakura paused, cocked her head to one side and listened intently.

"Talk to him ok? Sort it out… Properly…" he added, emphasising the _properly_. He sincerely wished the very best for her, and hoped that things would turn out good… For both of them… They _both_ deserved that…

Yes Sakura was usually a strong and smart girl, and she had a firm mind that very few people could break. Except when it came to Sasuke… It's not that the Uchiha didn't do her any good… Because he did. He made her smile more than anyone else could possibly accomplish…

But… But sometimes he was just too inexperienced for his own good, too unsympathetic to other people's feelings… He needed to pay more attention to Sakura, to read in between the lines… She would never admit being unhappy around the stoic boy… Maybe… Maybe she felt that he was too good for her…? Maybe she thought that she didn't deserve him, and so she felt obliged to be happy for what she already had…

One of her good traits was that she wasn't selfish… And she never took things for granted…

Kakashi sighed inwardly. He never wanted to see her unhappy again… She needed to seat Mr Uchiha down and have a long _long_ talk with him, about his responsibilities, about their future and about the way she felt…

She needed to discover that love was a 2 way thing. She couldn't keep letting Sasuke walk all over her, even if he did it unintentionally… He was probably too naïve to realise that his actions was hurting her… But he couldn't keep being cold and introverted forever…

Could he?

She needed to put her foot down and make some demands… After all, wasn't love all about giving _and_ taking??

"Hai, arigato…" Sakura's soft words interrupted the copycat nin's train of thought, jolting him back to the present. She smiled. "Ja ne, Kakashi-sensei!"

And then she walked off into the direction of the Uchiha house.

Kakashi smiled sadly. '_Stay happy Sakura…_' he thought silently. He never did want to see his students upset…

Guess it was one of the quirks that came with being a teacher…

--------------------------------------

At about 10pm, Kakashi found himself outside Naruto's apartment. He shrugged – he had nothing else to do, so why not visit his favourite blonde haired blue-eyed student? The loud mouth of Konoha hadn't contacted any of them since Sasuke was relocated, and the silver haired jounin began to wonder whether anything was wrong…

Firstly – Naruto wasn't bragging about his extraordinary skills and stealth as a ninja, and his achievement of actually being _the one_ to find the Uchiha…

Secondly – Sasuke went home alone… But if Naruto found him, then where did the blonde go? And why didn't he accompany the Uchiha? Didn't he want to make sure that Sasuke returned to Sakura?

And thirdly – the boy didn't turn up for free ramen… Naruto had DECLINED FREE RAMEN.

_Something_ just didn't add up…

Kakashi knocked lightly upon the front door, but no one answered. He knocked again, then waited 5 minutes.

Silence.

He frowned. The lights were off, and it seemed relatively quiet inside… So maybe Naruto wasn't at home??

… But if Naruto wasn't at home… Then where was he?

Out of curiosity, and the fact that he had absolutely nothing else to do, the older man decided to check the back anyway. He wandered around the apartment, until he reached the bedroom window… He mentally cheered as he noticed that the curtains weren't drawn…

Sniggering a little, and realising that he was in fact spying on his student, the silver haired man gazed inside…

Only for his heart to stop at the sight...

-----------------------------------------

Kakashi let his mouth drop open in surprise, his expression frozen in an embodiment of astonishment and shock. How long he stood there he did not know… Time seemed to stop and rush by erratically all at once… All he knew was that his muscles had long given up complaining about standing in the same position over a long period of time…

He stared in complete amazement… Nothing… _Nothing_ had _ever_ prepared him for that sight that greeted him…

Naruto was wrapped up in his bed sheets, his hair ruffled and sticking out sporadically in all directions. His eyelids fluttered rapidly, betraying the fact that he was actually dreaming…

Or from the apparent distress upon his face, the boy was facing one hell of a nightmare…

And the tears… The tears broke Kakashi's heart. They glittered under the moonlight, appearing as streaks of silver running down the trembling cheeks that were clenched in evident pain…

It was wrong… _Just wrong! _

Naruto… Naruto was the hyperactive kid… He was the blonde haired loud-mouthed klutz that didn't care what other people thought! He was the strong willed, vulgar and extremely annoying prankster that was always up to no good… He was the boy with the bright ambition – he was always positive, cheerful, confident… Always upbeat… Never disheartened, never sad…

Naruto wasn't meant to have nightmares…

_He wasn't meant to cry… _

Kakashi shook his head roughly. Of course Naruto had nightmares! Of course he cried! Who wouldn't in his position? His only friends, his only _family_ had disappeared suddenly for five years; the villagers hate him for something he had no control over, he was branded a demon, called names, constantly humiliated… And now… And now…

Who knew what was wrong now? Because he certainly didn't! Naruto never complained, never seemed depressed… So the silver haired man had once come to the conclusion that the blonde just probably wasn't bothered, that nothing could possibly hurt him…

_That he just didn't care…_

Not that Naruto didn't have feelings of course… Quite the contrary in fact… The blonde had proved time and time again that it wasn't weak to feel, that it wasn't pathetic to have emotions… And the well-known statement, 'Shinobi's were meant to be emotionless…' Well, you can damn that statement to hell!

So yes, Naruto _was_ meant to feel… It's just… He… He wasn't meant to feel like_ this_… He wasn't meant to feel down, to feel depressed… He _wasn't_ meant to cry…

He was _always_ too confident, too proud…

Kakashi grimaced bitterly. He was such a hypocrite… He _himself_ never cared to think… Never cared to read in between the lines…

Maybe Sakura wasn't the only one acting strong…

The blonde's lips parted slightly. "Don't leave… Don't leave me again…" Naruto whispered, unknowing that his every word, his every plea was breaking his sensei's heart…

Kakashi stood forlornly, wondering what the hell was going on… What the hell could've happened to bring the great cheerful Naruto down to his very knees?

And how the hell did he manage to let his student down once again?

----------------------------------------

Naruto rubbed his eyes wearily as he made his way back from training in the woods. It was already dark – around midnight – and his stomach growled in annoyance from being ignored all day.

He smiled sheepishly – he hadn't eaten since breakfast…

It had been 2 long weeks since Sasuke had been found, and the blonde had spent most of his days training until exhaustion. It was the only thing that kept him sane, kept him occupied enough to stop the confusing and conflicting thoughts from invading his mind…

And sometimes, if he were really lucky, he was too tired to even dream…

He hadn't seen any of his former teammates since the day he had that little talk with Sasuke. It just seemed pointless – they still had their lives to live and he still had his dream to chase…

He didn't want to get any closer… Not to Sasuke anyway… He just couldn't afford to fall any deeper… Who knows what could happen if he fell once more? What if he refused to let go? What if he himself _couldn't_ let go?

The Uchiha just brought up too many memories, too many locked up feelings… Too many painful emotions…

Naruto sighed. And yet, somehow against everything thrown against him, he still longed for him… Still longed for his kisses… Longed for those delicious forbidden kisses from 5 year back… His lips had been so soft… So full, so _gentle_…

Naruto shook his head in disgust. He had to stop thinking that way! _He's getting married for god's sake!_ He sighed bitterly. Thoughts of Sasuke had always been going off at random tangents recently… Especially tangents involving _that one night_ they had spent together…

That's why he had to stay away – there was a high probability that he might slowly lose control if he were around the other boy for too long… And if he couldn't restrain himself – who knew what could happen? He wasn't too sure whether he could trust himself anymore…

Naruto yawned and diverted his attention to the beautiful night sky. It was extremely clear – thousands of tiny pin prickles of light could be seen flickering brightly across the large horizon. And to think, each star was very much like our own sun… And each sun was surrounded by many planets, a few probably very much like own our earth… Who knew what life could exist out there?

The blonde bit down upon his lower lip – the expanse of the universe always made him feel so insignificant… So… small…

He frowned in contemplation. Would it really make a difference if he never existed? After all – what could one person do? What could one person do to affect or change something as big as the complex web of life?

More importantly - would anyone miss him if he were gone?

And would anyone cry for him if he ever died?

-----------------------------------

The sombre mood stayed with Naruto until he reached his apartment. The first thing he noticed was a hunched figure sitting outside his front door, blocking his entrance into the building. But before he could get suspicious and arrange himself into a defensive posture, the figure jumped up and latched itself onto his arm.

"S-Sakura?" Naruto stuttered, as a shock of pink greeted his view. A million thoughts rushed through his mind, mixed with a flood of guilt. Even though he had hardly been at home for the past 2 weeks, he still knew that Sakura visited on numerous occasions – he had all the hand written notes to prove it. They began as invites to dinners, restaurants, and social gatherings, which then slowly developed into cries of desperation and confusion, wondering why the hell he wasn't turning up or replying to her messages…

He had received every note and he had read them all, word by word. But each sheet of paper had met the same cruel fate – roughly crumpled up then disposed of in the waste bin…

It just hurt too much… The pain might recede if he ignored it, right?

"God Sakura, you're freezing!" Naruto quickly rushed the trembling girl into his apartment. He sat her down then dashed into the kitchen, before remerging a few minutes later with a large cup of hot green tea.

"A-Ar-Ar-r-iga-to…" Sakura managed to stutter unsteadily, as she brought the cup of steaming liquid to her lips.

"Sakura, what the hell are you doing here at this time of the night?!" Naruto yelled, not at all unpleasantly. If he was being truly honest with himself, it still hurt to see her, to know that she was going to marry the one person that he had ever loved… That she had to right to kiss Sasuke, to hold his hand, to make love to him…

That she could give him children, and make him happy… The one thing that he knew he could never do…

"I-I-I c-came to-to s-see you…" Sakura mumbled, the tea slowly calming her erratic shivering.

"It's a bit late don't you think?" Naruto glared, concern evident within his eyes. "God, what were you thinking? You could've caught pneumonia!"

"Y-Yeh, but I-I wanted to c-check if you w-were ok… It-It's not like you've r-replied to a-any of my m-messages!"

"You could've waited till morning…" Naruto pointed out, as the overwhelming feeling of guilt once again consumed him.

"B-But you're n-never h-here in the m-mornings…"

The blonde sighed. That was probably true – he usually left his apartment at the crack of dawn, to avoid bumping into the people that he didn't want to see… Which was _just_ about _everyone_…

"Well I'm fine… So no need to worry about me ok?" Naruto chided, knowing very well that the current situation was probably his fault again… But he hadn't expected Sakura to actually come and find him…! He had assumed that she'd be too busy with Sasuke anyway…

_He didn't actually expect her to care_…

"N-Naruto… Why a-are you a-avoiding me?" Sakura asked outright, her gaze meeting Naruto's shocked expression levelly.

"I'm not avoiding you…" he mumbled, looking at the floor in fascination, not realising that his actions were making him appear even more conspicuous.

"You're avoiding me Naruto… And I want to know why…"

Naruto glanced up as he heard the apparent tremor in her voice, and was distraught to find the pink-haired girl once again on the verge of tears.

"I… I…"

"What have I done wrong?" Sakura asked, her voice trembling, her eyes wide with confusion. "I… I can't have both of you acting like this…"

"Sakura, I-"

"You don't understand!" Sakura burst out, her expression stricken and on the verge of panic. "I can't have you both like this… I can't… it's driving me crazy! I understand Sasuke acting like that… But… But you too? God Naruto… Why - Why you too?"

With that the pink haired girl collapsed into tears, leaving a very confused and flustered Naruto standing by awkwardly.

"I-I need you Naruto…" she whispered hoarsely in between her sobs. "I can't do-do this alone…"

The blonde sighed, sat down beside the trembling girl, then simply held her - his touch and his warmth providing considerable comfort to alleviate her distress. He wondered wearily what the hell Sasuke had managed to do now…

He looked at the crying girl in his arms… So vulnerable, so pained… He felt somewhat like a parent, and immediately knew that he would do whatever he could in his power to help her… As long as that meant keeping her happy…

_Whatever it took to keep her happy…_

---------------------------------------

Naruto walked numbly away from the Uchiha house. He had taken Sakura home after her midnight confessions, and as predicted, he had offered to help her in anyway to resolve her dilemma...

Which once again involved finding the shifty bastard.

The Uchiha resident was completely devoid of any light, sound and warmth, and the pink haired girl had seemed almost reluctant to enter. Naruto shivered – he didn't blame her - it was cold… _Too cold_… But after assuring her that he will in fact return, and no, he won't just go home and forget about her like he did before, she hesitantly entered the building and shut the door quietly behind her.

The blonde sighed wearily, and ran a hand through his messy hair. Thoughts of Sasuke drifted in and out of his consciousness. He smiled bitterly – it was ironic that no matter how he tried to avoid the other boy, one way or another their paths were inevitably forced to cross, inevitably intertwined…

Maybe he should take a page out of Neji's book and blame it on fate…

He walked unfamiliar paths that took him to the outskirts of the village. It was very late, and very dark, and most of the sensible people were off the streets, and asleep in their own warm beds…

Naruto sighed… His bed seemed so inviting right now…

After about 15 minutes of more walking, the blonde finally arrived at his destination. The lights shone rather glaringly, and the music pumped his heart sporadically. He grimaced – so this was where the _non_-sensible people went at night…

He shrugged and entered the noisy establishment, and was immediately overwhelmed by the choking scent of smoke. His eyes watered from the attack of the fumes, and he had to blink a few times for his vision to clear up. Bodies were everywhere – moving, grinding, sweating… The place was almost like a sea of people, threatening to engulf practically anything that was stupid enough to get in their way…

Naruto frowned to hide his initial intimidation – he wasn't used to this type of atmosphere, and the music was really starting to get on his nerves. Clenching his fists defiantly, he followed Sakura's earlier instructions and headed towards the bar at the far back…

Lewd comments, leers and suggestions followed him all the way, from members of both sexes:

_'Hey sexy, wanna dance? Or wanna do something else instead?' _

_'Blondie! I bet I could make you scream…' _

_'Hey pretty boy, tight ass you got there!' _

But he managed to ignore them all, and was secretly pleased with his own self-control. In any other situation, he would've probably punched them all. And that was including the women.

But alas, this wasn't about him… This was about Sasuke…

Naruto sighed… Just why was he such an attention seeking bastard…?

And just as Sakura had predicted, the Uchiha was found slumped by the bar with half a dozen of empty glasses surrounding him. Naruto felt secretly relieved that everything had gone so smoothly, but half of him felt truly disappointed…

Who would've guessed it? Who would've guessed that the genius ninja of Konoha would have been found in such a sleazy place?

"You hiz flend?" shouted a heavily accented voice, loud enough to drown out the heavy beat of the pounding music. Naruto spun around in shock, and met the defiant glare of the bartender. "Can you getz zim away? He's scarling all de cuztomers!"

The blonde diverted his attention back to the raven-haired boy, and found that the bartender was right. Although the placed was packed out with bodies left right and centre, and that no matter where you went, you literally stepped over other people, the small space surrounding Sasuke was surprisingly bare…

It almost seemed as if everyone was trying their best to keep as far away from him as possible…

Which was a first!

"Ee keepz punchlin de peple! Trlied to getz zim outz but he keepz coming bak!" the bartender continued to rave. "Bin haire everly nite, for almost two weekz!"

Naruto listened in shock. So it was true… He had tried to deny it to himself, even when Sakura had told him that Sasuke had the annoying habit of coming home drunk all the time… A small part of him was convinced that the pink haired girl was wrong… Maybe she mistook his weariness for intoxication? It just seemed impossible - there was just no way that the Uchiha would succumb himself to something as low and as degrading as alcohol…

And a small part of him denied it to himself even now…

"Yeh, you his friend?" another raucous voice added to the conversation. It was a tall man, outlandishly dressed in leather, who would've looked somewhat appealing if it weren't for the massive bruise embellishing his right eye. "Cos he's dangerous man…I offered to buy him a drink and he just went crazy and did this to me! Che, some people just don't appreciate generosity!"

Naruto stared dumbfounded as another person joined the conversation. This time it was a petit woman, with extremely large breasts and a skirt that could easily be mistaken for a belt.

"Same 'ere hon! I jus' told him how sexy he is, and then he jus' snapped!" she pouted, as she paraded the purple bruise along her arm.

Naruto glanced around in apprehension, and was mildly stunned to find that nearly everyone in the place had one or two bruises adjourning their features… Which wasn't really _that_ hard to find, given that most people had very little clothing on anyway… Some bruises were deep purple, and some were almost on the verge of fading…

Naruto blinked in shock. What really astounded him was the number of people in the actual place… And judging by the visible markings upon their skins, it seemed as if practically _everyone_ in the establishment had tried it on with the Uchiha at one point or another…

Blue eyes continued to stare flabbergasted at the collapsed body at the bar. Yes he was good looking… But… _everyone_?!

"Yeh, there was this bloke… Dennis I think it was? Well, he tried to grope our mysterious sex god over here, and the poor guy had both his arms broken…" the leather clad man shuddered at the memory. "Don't think he'll be showing his face around here any time soon…"

"Yeh, he's a difficult one 'ere! So I'd be careful if I woz ya! Loads of people 'ave tried, an' everyone of 'em 'ave bin reject'd! Painfully!" the girl added, emphasising the word _painfully_.

By this time, Naruto was feeling rather lightheaded. The smoke seemed to invade his lungs and his pores, rendering his mind completely useless. The fact that he hadn't eaten since morning, and the added effects of the pumping music didn't do his head any wonders either… He wondered how the hell Sasuke managed to tolerate such an atmosphere…

He didn't even realised that he had been standing completely still for almost a minute.

"So… Uh… If you're not doing anything… Can I get you a drink?"

Naruto blinked a few times, before he realised that the question was directed at him. His dumbfounded gaze met the leather-clad man's charming smile, before a feeling of dread plummeted to his stomach. He _really_ didn't like the way that man was looking at him…

"Um… Thanks, but I really have to get going…" Naruto shouted over the sound of the music, before purposely rushing towards the form of the slumped over Uchiha. Adrenaline now rushed through his veins - half from the uncertainty swirling uncomfortably around in his stomach, and half from the fact that he just wanted to get out of the place as quickly as possible…

The blonde hesitated upon reaching Sasuke. What was he supposed to do now? He doubted very much that the taller boy would appreciate being thrown over his shoulder and carried away like a damsel in distress…

He settled for poking the raven-haired boy.

"Hey Sasuke…We gotta get out of here man!" he whispered harshly, the unease from the surroundings building up within him, causing a rush of undefined emotion plummeting through his system. By now, they had attracted the attention of many curious pairs of eyes – no doubt all wondering who the hell had enough balls to actually go and provoke the dark haired aggressor…

"Go away…" the raven-haired boy mumbled, pushing Naruto away in the process.

The blonde glared, immediately reverting back to the rude and vulgar attitude the pair had grown accustomed to in the old days. "Stop acting like a prissy, you bastard! This is all your fault! Normally I wouldn't be caught dead in this place, but wow wee, once again I have the amazing privilege of saving your moronic ass!"

"N-Naruto?" came the stammer, and before the blonde could defend himself, two hands were placed firmly upon either side of his face, rendering him immobile against the torso of his one time archrival.

"Is… Is it really you?" Sasuke slurred his words, his black eyes darting frantically around, searching the blue ones in his grasp… Searching for answers, for the truth…

Naruto shivered as he felt the warm breath caress his lips and his cheeks… The familiar taste of Sasuke just out of his reach, mixed with an underlying flavour of alcohol…

By this time, even more curious stares were upon the pair, who seemed to be in a somewhat comprising position. Although the audience had the tact to remain silent, the apparent identical question that was surging simultaneously through their minds were obvious…

_'Was it true? Did someone finally manage to tame the dark haired sex god?'_

"Lucky bastard!" he heard a male voice shout.

"Come on, lets get out of here…" Naruto muttered, the pounding of the music causing an adverse headache starting up within his temples. And the smoke…! God, the blonde couldn't remember ever inhaling something as repugnant and disgusting as the smoke he was now exposed to… One thing for sure – it definitely wasn't _just_ tobacco they were smoking in there…

"O-Okay…" Sasuke smiled shyly, before burying his head in Naruto's side, permitting the blonde to support him as they both made their way out of the place. Lewd comments followed the two out, with multiple offers of threesomes from both men and women alike.

Fortunately, Naruto managed to stay indifferent to the whole experience, his expression passive and devoid of any emotion… That is, until he felt something which repulsively felt like a hand brush against his rear… His visage immediately turned an interesting shade of pink before he literally sprinted out of the confinement, away from the intricate mass of sweat, bodies and limbs…

He only stopped running when the pounding of the music became nothing but a dull beat, registering only in the back of his mind. He shivered – he never _ever_ wanted to set foot in such an establishment again…

Diverting his attention back to the half slumped boy in his arms, Naruto felt a pang of pain attack his chest, as he perceived the state that the stoic boy was in. '_Who would've guessed it?_' he thought bitterly. '_Sasuke, the great Uchiha Sasuke… Now a fucking drunk…' _

He sighed, and sat the half dozing boy upon the grassy ground. How the hell did he always manage to get himself into such bizarre situations? What the hell did he do wrong in a previous life, to deserve this sudden run of misfortune?

'_You're a demon remember?_' his conscience smirked lightly, reminding the blonde just why he was at the receiving end of the endless bad luck.

Naruto frowned, and tried to divert his thoughts by looking at his surroundings, which proved to be a very bad idea once his gaze rested once again upon the raven-haired boy. Blue eyes widened in shock, as he took in the image of the dark haired angel sprawled out before him… Looking so vulnerable… So helpless…

He wondered why he had to love him so much…

Why was it, that even after 2 weeks of avoiding him, it still hurt just to see him? Why was it, that no matter how much he tried to convince himself otherwise, he just couldn't let go?

_Why did he feel as if he would never let go?_

---------------------------------------

Naruto knew that the most rational thing to do right then was to probably take Sasuke home. That plan of action was always sensible - act first then question later… After all, less could go wrong if other people were present during the inevitable confrontation right? Especially with the history that the two shared…

_And it would hurt a hell of a lot less…_

But just looking at him… Looking at him like that… So peaceful… So _natural _in his state of semi consciousness… There were no indifferences between them, no arguments, no conflicts… No bleak histories or pasts to haunt them… Was it really a sin to want that moment to last forever? That single fragile – peaceful – moment… It may never be relived again… Was there really a crime in prolonging the instant? Even if only for a little while…?

_If only for a little longer…_

He could hear the loud beat of his heart in his chest… He could feel the blood rushing through his body… He could feel his palms getting sweaty, as his hand started to tremble…

'_I wonder what he tastes like… I wonder whether he still tastes the same…' _

Naruto shook his head roughly to dispel his wavering thoughts, as the pounding in his head increased to an all time high. _Damn the smoke! Damn whatever those idiots were smoking! _

"Na-ru-tooo?" a slurred voice asked, immediately jolting the blonde back into reality.

"Sasuke? Are you ok? Are you feeling alright?" Naruto asked, the words rushing out furiously as anxiousness crept into his voice. It was rather heartbreaking to see the usually composed boy in such a state… To see the disciplined fall so low…

Sasuke sat up, reached an arm out and wavered it uncertainly in front of the blonde's face. He squinted, moved forward a couple of extra inches, before he confidently placed his fingertips upon Naruto's right cheek. His fingers felt surprisingly cool against the warm flush building up upon the tanned skin.

Naruto swallowed heavily in semi panic.

"You're beautiful…" Sasuke murmured, his speech surprisingly clear for someone so intoxicated, as the world began to swirl hazily around them…

"No I'm not…" Naruto whispered reflexively, lowering his gaze to the ground, wondering how the hell a drunken person could make him feel so intimidated… Why was Sasuke saying all this? Why was he lying to him? He knew he wasn't beautiful...

_Demons could never be beautiful…_

"You're beautiful…" the Uchiha repeated, cooing softly, tracing tender patterns along the blonde's jaw, causing the other boy to shiver involuntarily… The familiar yet aching desire began to throb dully through his system, the oh too familiar wanting, the uncomfortable longing…

"Sasuke… Stop… You're going to regret all this in the morning…" Naruto muttered, his voice trembling fervently against his will. He felt the familiar dull pain start up in his chest, choking him slowly, diminishing his will to think coherently…

"Regret this?" Sasuke whispered, his eyes strangely glassy as he leaned closer towards the blonde. "I'll never regret any time with you…" he brushed his forehead against the blonde's, his gaze steady and unexpectedly intense for a drunken person. "I cherish every moment spent with you, you know that?"

Naruto managed a small whimper, while all the time he was yelling at himself to take some action, to remove himself from such an dangerous and forbidden situation. He couldn't afford to get any closer! Why was he breaking all the rules that he had previously set himself? He was supposed to stay away! Stay away from the temptation that was Sasuke…

He couldn't fall any deeper… _He couldn't risk falling all over again…_

"I thought you were never going to come…" Sasuke continued, his whispered breaths brushing against Naruto's face, warming his lips and cheeks up in the most deadly of techniques. "I've missed you so much…"

Naruto felt his throat constrict painfully. He wanted to tell him, he wanted to tell the Uchiha that he missed him too… That he spent most of his days just thinking of him… Just dreaming of him…

_But he couldn't…_

It was just much too dangerous to add fuel to an uncontrollable fire…

"Don't you miss me too?" the raven-haired boy asked, his eyes darting around nervously, searching Naruto's blue ones for answers, any answers… For any consolation that he wasn't alone in his feelings… That his love wasn't unrequited…

The blonde merely tensed, his whole body turning rigid at the words. There was just too much against it all…Too much against them…

_'Why fight Sasuke? Why fight when you know it's impossible?' _

"Why don't you miss me?" Sasuke asked, the emotion building up in his throat and choking his words. His black hair swayed gently in the wind, like a veil that had just been torn apart, revealing desperately hidden secrets and broken desires. "Why… Why don't you love me, Naruto?"

'_I do love you!_' Naruto wanted to yell, although nothing showed for his efforts but for a single hitched breath. '_I love you so much…' _

_'I love you with everything I have…' _

"Can't… Can't you ever love me?" the Uchiha asked, his voice breaking, his eyes flickering with an indefinable emotion. "Why… Why can't you love me?"

Naruto inhaled harshly, trying to keep himself strong, trying desperately to keep himself sane… He couldn't give into temptation… He couldn't afford losing control… He couldn't risk opening his mouth and explaining himself, as that meant giving away his heart, giving away his soul…

He couldn't risk giving them away… Not when he _knew_ that Sasuke was going to leave him… Sooner or later, he _will_ leave… Why didn't he understand? He _will_ leave, just like everyone else…

_And he just couldn't risk losing him all over again…_

"Just why, Naruto?" the boy continued his verbal assault upon the blonde, desperation evident in his voice. "Why can't you love me? Can't you even try to love me? I… I've given you everything… Just… Just what more do you want?"

His fingers gripped either side of Naruto's face in an act of utmost desolation, his eyes pleading, begging…

"I'll give it to you! Whatever you want, I'll give it to you! Just tell me, please… God, Naruto… Just tell me, what more do you want?"

Naruto bit down upon his lip harshly, to suppress the pressure building up inside, distracting himself from the pain increasing in his chest. He wanted to scream. Why was Sasuke doing this to him? He deserved so much better! He was… He was the village's hope; he was everyone's dream… He didn't deserve _this_…! He didn't deserve the pain that would inevitably come from loving a demon…

_No one deserved that…_

"Why won't you even talk to me?" Sasuke asked, his voice desperate and crumbling under the intensity of the situation. "I understand if you don't love me… I know… I know I don't deserve you… But why? Why can't you even talk to me?"

"Talk to me please… God, Naruto, please talk to me… I… I can survive without your love, I can continue loving you from afar… But I can't live without you in my life… Don't you understand? I… I _need_ you, Naruto… God, please… Please _talk_ to me…"

Naruto stayed rigid, although his reply was given as a lone tear slid silently down his face.

_'I'm sorry…'_

And yet no matter how he tried, he still couldn't remove his gaze away from the intense one of the frantic boy before him…

------------------------------------------

"You're crying…" Sasuke stated softly, after a moment's hesitation, the earlier desperation melting away as a soft finger reached up to brush the solitary teardrop away. His dark eyes betrayed his surprise at the blonde's sudden show of emotion.

But Naruto didn't answer – his throat seemed to seize up – as another tear followed the path of the first.

"Why are you crying?" Sasuke asked, his voice gentle yet awed by the situation. The tears glinted like crystals in the moonlight, casting tiny silver flickers of light in all directions.

'_Cos I love you… I'm crying cos I love you and it hurts…_' Naruto wanted to whisper, but his voice refused to obey him. Instead, another teardrop fell… Followed by another…

_Followed by another…_

Sasuke stared at Naruto, as if in mild shock. He slowly wrapped his arms around the tense blonde, holding him close as if never wanting to let go…

"Don't cry…" the Uchiha whispered, his lips brushing against the other boy's ear, causing a ragged breath to emit from the blonde. "Shh… Don't cry…"

"_Angels don't cry_…"

That's when Naruto's own self defence walls, the ones built solidly around his heart literally collapsed… His tears poured relentlessly from his eyes as if there were no tomorrow… Why did it have to hurt so much? Why did his heart have to hurt so much? Was love supposed to cause so much pain?

Why was it that he could never let go? Why could he never stay away? Why did he have to fall for _him_? Out of all the people in the world, why did he have to fall in love with the one Uchiha Sasuke?

"Shh… it's ok…" the raven-haired boy murmured gently, a tender look within his eyes. "Everything's going to be ok…"

Then Sasuke kissed him, softly at first, their lips barely touching… Then the kiss deepened, became firmer, became more confident… Became much more _desperate_…

Naruto opened his mouth, and their tongues met gently in a familiar yet exhilarating intricate dance, burning their lips, scorching their souls... The blonde found himself drowning in the other's taste, his senses overwhelming with a million different reactions, a million different emotions…

His heart continued to pound loudly against his ribs, as if to verify that he was alive and kicking – that he hadn't died and gone to heaven… That it wasn't a dream… That it wasn't yet another hallucination to add to his never ending heartbreak…

_'It's wrong…' _

And never before had he ever felt so alive… Yet the tears just kept on falling, as if washing away his guilt, washing away the shame, washing away the _wrongness_ from the situation… His mind blocked out all thoughts, blocked out Sakura - blocked out _everything_ but the feel of the soft lips upon his… The soft lips that were literally worshipping him, caressing him, loving and caring for him…

_'But it's wrong…'_

Both boys kissed to their hearts content, catching up for 5 years of missed contact, of missed warmth… Both needing more of each other… Wanting more contact, _needing_ more contact to fuel their passion… To fulfil their unhealthy and unrelenting addiction for one another…

_'It's just so wrong…'_

Time seemed to stop, as hands began to roam…Over soft skin, over whispered breaths… Tender whimpers, moans, asking for more, desiring much much more…

_'But it's just too wrong...!' _

Suddenly, Naruto pushed away… The fervent kiss broken, the heated embrace disrupted… The abrupt movement caused Sasuke to fall over backwards, as a surprise expression replaced his lust filled gaze.

Silence seemed to choke the pair, the only sounds being the mutual thrashing of their hearts, simultaneously drowning them, deafening them both…

"Oh God, I'm so sorry…" Naruto whispered, his throat hoarse and his eyes apologetic and filled with unconcealed sorrow. How could he let this happen? How could he lose control like that?

_How could he betray them all?_

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry Sasuke… I can't… _I just can't_…" he repeated mindlessly, as the severe realisation of the situation hit home. He had just betrayed Sakura… And he had also betrayed Sasuke… He had taken advantage of the Uchiha in a vulnerable situation… God, just what was he thinking? _What had he done? _

Blue eyes met black, in a showdown of desperation, of hopelessness…

Sasuke wavered uncertainly, his eyes searching for answers, searching for an explanation…

_'Why?'_

"I'm sorry…" Naruto repeated again, as if the phrase were some kind of mantra to him… As if saying the words over and over again would somehow reduce the hurt, diminish the torture… As if repetition would somehow erase the pain…

_'Just why?'_

He watched in utter distress as the Uchiha literally crumbled right in front of his very eyes… He watched in anguish as the hurt and the oh too familiar pain flickered evidently across the usually cold and dark eyes…

He could feel the eyes upon him, searching for answers to unspoken questions, searching desperately for suitable explanations to alleviate the confusion…

'_Why? Why are you doing this to me all over again?' _

_'Why lead me on when all you're going to do is break me a little more?' _

Naruto watched in numb silence, as Sasuke's heart was ruthlessly torn apart. He watched it all in mute fascination, the pain freezing his senses, rendering him immobile… It was almost as if he could physically _see_ the broken spirit, the shattered soul _smashed_ to smithereens by his own two hands…

And he cried again, cried synchronised tears, _cried tears of an angel_ as the crystal drops of water began to simultaneously fall from the Uchiha's eyes…

Why did it have to hurt so much? Why did it hurt so much when he was only doing the right thing? And why did everything have to be so damn complicated…?

And so Naruto continued to cry – silver tears of betrayal poured from his eyes, mixed with tears of pain, of self-hatred… Of self disgust…

For he never knew that it could hurt so much to break another's heart…

--------------------------------------

And during their emotive confrontation, neither of the two boys realised the cloaked figure hiding and watching intently from the shadows with narrowed eyes…

Neither noticed the way his initial frown transformed into one of a malicious sneer, transforming the somewhat attractive face into that of a malevolent beast…

"_Checkmate_," he whispered callously, as a cruel smile graced his features, before disappearing silently into the night…

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End chapter 15

OMG is that...? _Is that a plotline?_! Oh my... faints

Look this is NOT a cliffhanger...ish... Lol. Uhmm yeh...

Anyway, apologies if I have offended anyone in anyway... I go to cheesy clubs as well, but I have to say that the smoke is kinda gross huh. Oh and insulting alcohol? I drink myself (on special occasions) so please don't take that to heart... And yes I know Naruto drank as well, but that was a one off - and Sasuke has been there for _2 weeks_!! O.o;;

And finally, I have to admit - I almost cried writing this. _Almost_. It was that damn 'Why can't you love me?' part... GAH HOW CAN ANYONE RESIST SASUKE?!

Grr. My rant is over.

Thanks for reading!! and as always - if you would like to join the mailing list, please mail me purrfectly679hotmail.com or leave a review with your addy in it! Ta!


	16. What could be the harm?

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto. But I DO own the game on ps2   
**Title**: I think I better leave right now - chapter 16**  
Author**: Purrfectly679 - e-mail purrfectly679hotmail.com for comments and suggestions. Feedback highly appreciated.  
**Rating**: PG-13, angst, bad language. SakuSasu, SasuNaru  
**Notes**: No spoilers. This is a revised repost.

**Previously**: Naruto takes a drunk Sasuke home, as a figure watches from the shadows...

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"Naruto?" Sakura asked anxiously, throwing open the front door in haste, as she finally glimpsed the blonde boy reaching the Uchiha establishment 2 hours later. Her eyes searched the surrounding vicinity in unconcealed anxiousness.

"Where's Sasuke?" she asked bleakly, once she saw that the blonde was in fact alone.

"I'm here," interrupted a low monotone, as a dark figure crept silently out of the shadows. The Uchiha looked extremely pained, as if he were straining to suppress the symptoms of his intoxication… But fortunately, the fact that he was actually able to walk by himself suggested that the alcohol had already begun its lengthy recession out of his body…

That or he was just too proud to ask for assistance…

"I'm so glad you're ok…" Sakura sighed in sincere relief, as she made her way out of the house and into the arms of her dark-haired love. Sasuke visibly flinched as the slender arms wrapped themselves around his tense shoulders.

"Sorry Sakura, but not now…" he murmured quietly, before he promptly removed himself from her embrace, and stalked grimly into the house.

Naruto watched in restrained discomfort, feeling very much like a recluse, as if he were somehow intruding upon the couple's fragile moment…

"It's ok…" Sakura smiled hollowly, the effort apparent as she struggled for a somewhat dismissive expression. "It happens all the time…" she added, as if her fiancé's frosty actions weren't uncommon nor infrequent at all…

She was almost _used_ to it…

Naruto bit down upon his lower lip in shame, as the full realisation of the pink haired girl's struggle hit him head on. She had tolerated so much, endured so much pain… She had been to hell and back because of the raven-haired boy… And yet… And yet she was still by his side… She was _still_ so devoted…

_Still so hopelessly in love… _

Naruto frowned. What would he do if that happened to him? How would he act if Sasuke treated him so coldly? Would he still stay by the Uchiha's side? Would he be so completely and utterly smitten with love, that he'd stay dedicated, no matter how badly he was mistreated?

_Could he really endure the pain? _

"I'm sorry…" Naruto croaked ambiguously, half apologising for his lack of perception when it came to her suffering, and half for the bitter betrayal that he had unconsciously executed upon her…

He still couldn't believe it… It was only an hour ago – a mere 60 minutes - that he had been in a passion lip lock with _her_ fiancé, the one man that she had devoted her heart and soul to… He had tasted the Uchiha's lips, had drowned in his scent…

He had betrayed and deceived…

Just what kind of friend was he?

Sakura smiled as tears sprung to her eyes. "It's not your fault…" she whispered, her voice trembling uncertainly. "He's always been like that…"

The blonde looked at his feet as the bitter feelings of guilt overwhelmed him. He didn't even want to be here! God, why didn't he stay away? Why _couldn't_ he stay away? He should've immediately taken the Uchiha home when he had the chance… Then maybe nothing would've happened between them… Then everything would've turned out ok…

_Then maybe he wouldn't have committed the ultimate betrayal… _

Naruto clenched his fists involuntarily. What the hell was he thinking? Just what the fuck had been going on in that messed up mind of his when he had kissed Sasuke back? _He had fucking kissed him back!_ God, what was _wrong_ with him? Didn't he realise that _anything_ involving Sasuke, let alone _kissing_ him, was _guaranteed_ to cause even more problems?

Just why the hell was he born so stupid?

"Hey, you better come in Naruto… I don't want you getting a cold on my behalf…"

"It's ok, I was going to go home-"

"Nonsense," Sakura replied firmly, the authority reasserting itself in her voice. "It's much too late… You can sleep over and go home in the morning…"

"No seriously, it's ok…" the blonde rushed his words in a semi-state of panic. He couldn't stay! Not when Sasuke there! He wasn't actually sure whether things _could_ possibly get any worse, but he wasn't eager to find out either!

"Please Naruto…"Sakura murmured softly, her green eyes pleading him, begging him… "I… I haven't thanked you yet for helping me again…"

The blonde cursed himself inwardly for being weak. He couldn't let his resolve melt… This wasn't fair! Didn't she understand? He had to get away! He couldn't stay… Not with Sasuke so close by…

_What if he lost control again? _

Naruto felt the familiar pain rise up in his chest again. Didn't she realise? Didn't she realise that they both loved the same man? And yet Naruto knew that the Uchiha could never be happy with him… The man had a bloody clan to resurrect for God's sake! And he himself was just a demon… What did he know about love…?

_Could demons even love? _

Sakura was perfect for him – why couldn't Sasuke see that? They were the golden couple, born for one another, complementing each other in every way… The best ninja in the village together with the smartest and most beautiful girl… The match made in heaven…

_Just what more could he want? _

Naruto bit down harshly on his bottom lip, drawing blood in the process, the pain distracting himself from the ache of his broken heart. He hated this! Why was she doing this to him? He had already admitted defeat – she had won! _She had won Sasuke…_ He had accepted the painful fact a long time ago, that no matter what the future brings, the Uchiha would _always_ be happier with her…

So why was she still prolonging the pain? Why was she still rubbing it in and making him suffer?

_Why couldn't she let it go? _

"Please Naruto…" Sakura murmured softly, as she noticed the blonde's apparent hesitation. Her eyes were completely serious, as if she had thought about the issue for a very long time. "I… I don't understand… Just… Just what are you so afraid of?"

_'I'm afraid of losing control…'_ Naruto thought, but remained silent, his fists clenching and unclenching vehemently.

Her green eyes searched his blue orbs, searching for answers, for explanations… "Come on, tell me… Tell me, Naruto! Why are you being a stranger? Did… Did I do something wrong? Did I do something wrong again?"

"Do I _always_ do something wrong?"

Naruto continued to stare at the floor in barely concealed guilt.

"Answer me Naruto! Why? Why are you acting like this? Why are you turning your back on your friends?" her voice was laced with a hint of hysteria and desperation, as if she knew and understood one half of the story, but couldn't work out the rest no matter how hard she tried…

And it frustrated her no end…

Naruto clenched his eyes shut in despair. Couldn't she see? He wasn't turning his back on them! He had their best interests at heart! Couldn't _they_ see? They would be so much more happier without him! Why didn't they realise? Why did they _never_ realise?

_It was all for the best! _

"I need you Naruto…" Sakura whispered softly, as she collapsed wearily on her front doorstep. It seemed as if all the night's commotion had finally taken a visible toll on her energy level and strength. A lone tear slid down her perfectly sculpted cheekbone, adding to the countless number of tears she had already shed that night…

"I'm asking you, please… As a friend, Naruto… Please… Please stay here tonight…"

Naruto grimaced and stared up into the dark sky, needing something, _anything_ to distract him from the distraught girl sitting in front of him. And no matter how he much he diverted his vision from her pitiful figure, the fact that her tears were caused by him still tore at his conscience…

He sighed bitterly, trying to divert his attention by unsuccessfully locating the stars in the night sky… He then wondered where all the stars had gone... Those big clouds definitely weren't up there a few hours ago…

Then out of the blue, it began to rain… Big fat drops of cold rainwater splashed generously over his hair and clothes, drenching him instantly…

He smiled cynically - he had a feeling he was going to regret this…

"I guess the heavens made the decision for me…" he murmured, before making his way slowly into the Uchiha house…

It was ok… As long as he stayed away… It wasn't as if things could possibly get any worse anyway… Just as long as he stayed away… It would be ok… Right?

_It would be ok… _

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"Here, I'll go make you a cup of tea, and you go get some dry clothes…"

Naruto agreed mutely, dragging himself towards the foot of the stairs with precaution, trying his best not to drip water all over the unnaturally clean floor. It was as if no one lived here at all… He sighed inaudibly – today was _not_ his day… Not only was everything against him, but now even the weather decided to oppose him! And that _had_ to be a new world record - the shortest amount of time ever needed for someone to get utterly and thoroughly drenched…

"Uhm… Not that way…" Sakura murmured, interrupting the blonde's bout of self pitying. "I don't think my clothes will fit you…"

Naruto gave her an adorable look of confusion. Of course he wasn't going to wear her clothes! But the main bedroom was upstairs right? Room meant wardrobes, and wardrobes meant clothes…

"Ah… Sasuke's sleeping there…" she murmured weakly, pointing to a guest room locating on the ground floor, right at the end of a long and dark hallway.

Naruto blanched. Wearing the Uchiha's clothes was bad enough, but now he had to confront him again? Alone?! And why the hell was he sleeping there anyway?! Wasn't he _supposed_ to sleep next to his fiancée?

"He… He likes his privacy…" Sakura explained, as she observed the baffled expression gracing the blonde's features. "And while you're at it, can you bring him some water and aspirin? Alcohol messes up his system pretty badly, and I don't want him getting dehydrated again…" her voice trailed off sadly into a whisper. It was obvious that this occurrence wasn't the first of its kind…

Naruto swallowed nervously. He didn't want to seem _too_ suspicious, but there was no way that he'd ever go into Sasuke's bedroom alone! How was he supposed to restrain himself in such a tempting situation? He couldn't afford to lose control again! Gah, just what were the Gods playing at?!

"Uhmm… Could you get the clothes for me? Then you can give him the aspirin cos I might mess up and… And… And I really need the bathroom!" he squeaked hastily, his words tumbling out in a chaotic rush. He winced at the apparent nervousness in his voice, hoping fervently that she wouldn't see through his white lie…

But alas, things were never that easy for our favourite blonde shinobi…

The pink haired girl paused in mid-step and looked at him steadily in the eye. "I'm sorry if I made him hate you…" she murmured softly, mistaking Naruto's hesitation as fear from the Uchiha's wrath. "He's just angry… But he'll get over it… I'll… I'll talk to him tomorrow… Properly…" she added, emphasising the _properly_ with as much conviction as she could possibly muster.

"And don't worry about anything… He's probably passed out now so you can just leave the stuff on his bedside table… He won't hurt you or anything…" she smiled softly. "And don't bother giving him anything either – you know how he likes to do things for himself…"

Naruto smiled weakly. "Yeah… Stubborn bastard isn't he?" he added, trying his best to lighten the mood between them. He felt a sudden rush of relief – maybe he could develop this fear complex further as an excuse to avoid Sasuke?

Sakura's expression softened visibly.

"Yes… And one of the reasons why I love him so much…"

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Naruto walked sullenly down the dark hallway, balancing a tray of water and aspirin with ease in one hand, as he wondered why he hadn't noticed the vastness of the Uchiha house before. He frowned – it was only expected really… Considering that the Uchiha clan were one of the most prestigious and respected families in the whole of Konoha, it was only logical that they lived in an impressively huge house…

And being the last survivor of the advanced bloodline, Sasuke had, as expected, inherited the main establishment…

_'Such a large house…_' Naruto thought grimly. He definitely wouldn't have liked to live here during his childhood… It was much too big for one person to reside in alone…

Then again, Sasuke always _did_ like his independence…

Naruto shivered involuntarily once he reached the entrance to the raven-haired boy's room. It seemed so foreboding, so _dark_… Mysteriousness seemed to rivulet out from underneath the door, as if hiding numerous secrets that transcended beyond this dimension and time…

_It made his knees weak… _

He bit down upon his bottom lip, and sighed inaudibly. In all truthfulness, he would've preferred to stay in his wet clothes rather than borrow something that the Uchiha wore… He didn't want to be reminded of his smell - the dark, husky scent that could only be rightfully defined as Sasuke… To be constantly pursued by the presence of him – the one thing that he could _never_ have…

And staying in damp clothes wasn't really a problem - it's not like he _could_ catch a cold anyway… But alas, Sakura would probably bitch and moan about his lack of consideration concerning his health, which he definitely wasn't in the mood for… (Although how his health concerned her was still beyond his logical thought)

Then there was the possibility that she might start attacking him with questions about his strange behaviour concerning Sasuke… He wasn't really sure whether the 'fear' factor was such a good justification after all – she wasn't called the smartest girl in the village for nothing…

Naruto sighed. He knew he couldn't lie to save his life – he was _adequate_ at withholding information, but to tell an outright lie? He was truly as hopeless as they came…

He frowned, then set his features into a determined stare. He had to avoid seeming conspicuous at all times… He couldn't afford to let the pink haired girl know of his past with Sasuke, of his feelings…

_Of his betrayal… _

But it'll be ok… Sasuke was asleep… And he couldn't do anything if he was asleep… And Naruto wouldn't have to look into his eyes again… Those haunting eyes so full of pain and grief… And if he didn't have to look into his eyes, then it wouldn't have to hurt so much… He would be in and out of the room before you could say '_ramen_!' Nothing would happen…

_Nothing could happen… _

Feeling slightly more confident, Naruto sent one final prayer to the unresponsive Gods, before reluctantly pushing the door to Sasuke's room open, and hesitantly stepping inside…

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"Maru…?"

Shikamaru mumbled incoherently and snuggled deeper into his covers. He was having such a nice dream, something he hadn't had in quite a long time… It was one of his favourite pastimes, just sitting on the hillside staring at the clouds floating by effortlessly, the warm sun gently warming the surface of his skin…

"Maru?" the voice was barely a whisper, twinged slightly with an edge of desperation.

"Mhmm…" the dark pony-tailed man mumbled, as he buried his head deeper into his fluffy pillow. The clouds looked almost silver, glinting enthusiastically in the sunlight, as a delicate breeze brushed against him, refreshing his entire being from head to toe…

"It's raining…"

Shikamaru yawned irritably but kept his eyes clenched shut together. "So…?" The sun, the sky and the clouds faded away… He sighed inaudibly…

_There goes his beloved dream… _

"Something bad is happening…"

The lazy ninja wrapped his arms around the source of the whispers. "Just sleep yeh? Nothing's happening…"

Silence reigned for a few blissful moments, where the only sounds that could be heard originated from the raindrops splashing relentlessly against the windows… It felt so good to be inside, sheltered from the unpredictable forces of nature… It felt so safe and cocooned…

"Maru… I'm worried…"

Shikamaru sat up irritably, the grogginess of sleep evading him slowly. "What's the matter now?" he asked, as he gazed at his bedside clock. 4.15 am… His eyebrows twitched in exasperation. Just what the hell could be so important that it couldn't wait until morning?!

"I'm worried about Sakura…" the blonde haired girl whimpered in reply to his unvoiced question, clutching the covers tightly against her chest, as if the fabric was providing her with some much needed comfort…

"Can't you worry about her tomorrow?" the dark haired man half yawned and half frowned simultaneously.

"But I haven't heard from her in two weeks!"

"Yeh, but it's really late, and I doubt she's even awake right now…" Shikamaru murmured softly, as he pulled the trembling girl flush against his bare chest. He sighed, loudly this time – sometimes she could be so troublesome…

"But what about Sasuke and Naruto and-"

"Look we don't know anything for sure… And there's nothing we can do anyway, especially right now… So why don't you get some sleep, and we'll go see her tomorrow yeh?" Shikamaru persuaded gently, trying his best not to roll his eyes. He knew that unless he comforted her, there was no way that he was going to get back to sleep that night…

And he hated losing his sleep…

Ino nodded weakly against his chest, and let herself be pulled down into a more comfortable resting position. She snuggled closer to him.

"Oyasumi, Maru-chan…"

Shikamaru wrapped his arms around her tenderly and sighed once again – sometimes… Sometimes she was worth the extra trouble...

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The first thing Naruto noticed when he entered the spare bedroom was that it was very small, and very dark. There was a single, albeit small window opposite the bed, but due to the heavy rain and thick clouds, not a beam of light managed to shine through… The only light source upon the room consisted of the dim flicker that somehow managed to traverse from the kitchen, generating a somewhat mysterious yet haunting atmosphere…

_Almost like a graveyard of angels… _

Naruto swallowed nervously as he glanced at the figure sleeping peacefully upon the bed. It was too dark to make out Sasuke's features, which secretly relieved the blonde… He wasn't sure whether seeing the Uchiha so near again was such a good idea, especially after what had happened only a few hours ago…

He placed the tray silently next to the raven-haired boy's bed, trying his best not to wake the slumbering figure. God knows what could happen if that transpired…

Then as quietly as possible, he rummaged through the lone set of drawers in the room, and pulled out a plain blue sweatshirt and a pair of white shorts. He grimaced – they smelled heavily of the Uchiha, his unique scent diffusing rapidly all around him, choking him, suffocating him…

Naruto doubted that he'd get any sleep that night…

The blonde turned around and looked at Sasuke one last time before leaving the room… He knew he shouldn't have – it would've hurt a hell of a lot less if he had just walked away… But he just couldn't resist…

_Only a fool could resist… _

Naruto smiled bitterly. Even in the dark, and while intoxicated, the raven-haired boy's silhouette still seemed to glow with an ethereal beauty… He could distinguish each curve of the Uchiha's lithe and slender body, perceive each muscle that rippled every time he breathed…

_God he was beautiful… _

Naruto turned away sadly. He realised that it was probably the last ever chance that he'd ever get to appreciate Sasuke's beauty… But best to let go before it hurt even more right? He sighed bitterly – he was a fool for getting involved in the first place – he knew that there was no chance in hell that Sasuke would _ever_ be happy with him… He should've stayed away from the very beginning – even an idiot knew that letting someone like the Uchiha go was gonna hurt like hell…

Sasuke was just too good for him… He deserved someone better - someone that wasn't a demon, someone that wasn't despised…

_Someone like Sakura… _

--------------------------------------

Sakura waited patiently for the water to boil. Naruto must be freezing with all those damp clothes sticking to his body, and it was probably all her fault again… She shut her eyes wearily. Why did things always go wrong for her? And why couldn't she even keep her own fiancé under control?

She sighed – if only she had _forced_ him to listen that night… If only she had listened to Kakashi, and _made _Sasuke take responsibly… Then maybe… Then maybe none of this would've happened…

And she had to stop imposing upon Naruto like that… The boy still had a life to lead, without needing to hold her hand upon every step of hers… She could tell that he was beginning to get a little frustrated… Frustrated at her and frustrated at Sasuke… Not that she could blame him…

She sighed. How much she envied him… He lived such a simple life, devoid of problems, devoid of difficulties…

_Devoid of pain and suffering… _

She bit down upon her lower lip. Two weeks… It had been two weeks since that night at Ichiraku's… And only two weeks and a day since Sasuke had returned from his little self induced 'excursion'… That was a total of 2 nights spent at home by the Uchiha _voluntarily_ in almost a month…

_It was getting beyond ridiculous… _

And who would've guessed it huh? Sasuke, the great Uchiha Sasuke… The boy with the airs and graces to rival the gods themselves… The ninja with the genius bloodline, the skill to surpass all before him… The saviour, the _Adonis_ of the village - now a worthless alcoholic…

He wasn't the Sasuke she knew…

_He couldn't be the Sasuke she knew… _

She felt tears well up in her eyes and she immediately brushed them away defiantly. Just what the hell had she done wrong anyway? He had _everything_ to live for, yet he threw _everything_ away! What could've been so bad that he had to throw away his dreams, and abandon every shred of his dignity…?

Did Sasuke hate her? Did he abhor her presence _so much_ that he couldn't even stay in the same house as her for more than a day?

_Did he really hate her that much? _

But if he were so goddamn unhappy about their current situation, then why didn't he say anything? Why didn't he break it off? He was Uchiha Sasuke for fucks sake! He was strong, confident and the most lusted after man in the whole of Konoha – he couldget _whatever_ he wanted…

And if she wasn't what he wanted, then why the hell did he even agree to marry her in the first place? Why the hell would _anyone,_ let alone the Uchiha himself, submit themselves to an undesired marriage?

'_Unless_…' Sakura thought with sinking clarity and distress…

_…Unless… There was someone else? _

Was it possible that Sasuke wanted someone else?

-----------------------------------

Sasuke was aware of Naruto's presence in his room long before he opened his eyes to look at him. Even in his half drunken state, he could still sense him with every pore of his being… Every fibre of his soul… He could still feel the blonde upon his lips, still taste him, taste his being… He could smell his unique characteristic scent, almost overwhelming him with undulating need…

He wasn't ashamed to admit it anymore – he _needed_ Naruto…

He stared at the blonde behind half lidded eyes, willing his heart to stay steady. He was afraid that the other boy might hear the thunderous crash of his blood as it rushed around his body, rivalling the pounding of the rain against his window …

He had to be silent, he had to make this moment last… What if Naruto disappeared again? What if this was nothing but another one of his dreams? Another one of his shattering illusions?

Sasuke clenched his fists together tightly at his own stupidity_. Of course it was just another hallucination…! _Why the hell would Naruto be in his room anyway? The blonde had made it loud and clear that he wanted nothing to do with him anymore…

There was no chance that Naruto would ever be able to love him back…

_He had never loved him… _

But it was ok… Hallucinations were ok… They all purely consisted of a single vision of Naruto – an image of the blonde, just simply standing there and watching him… Sasuke didn't need to be kissed, he didn't need to be touched… He didn't even need the blonde to talk… He just needed him there, _needed_ his soothing presence, just standing, just watching… He felt somewhat safe under his tranquil gaze, felt somehow free and at peace…

So hallucinations were ok… They were better than nothing right? So what if they weren't real? So what if they _weren't_ _ever_ going to be real? They were better than his reality… They took his mind off his fucked up life, off his messed up circumstances… They gave him _happiness_, even if it was only temporary, even if it was only fake…

Was it wrong to live in a dream? Was it wrong to live in denial?

These illusions, these mirages, these dreams… They were all he lived for right now… They were the only things that gave him comfort throughout the pain… And he found that they came much more frequently and more vividly when he was heavily intoxicated…

Hence the drinking…

The vision of Naruto moved slightly, sending every nerve in the Uchiha's body into mild panic. Was Naruto leaving? _Why was he leaving?_ This hadn't happened before! Usually the image of the blonde stayed there until he was stupid enough to reach out and touch it, or until he was idiotic enough to utter a sound…

_'But I didn't even move!' _

Naruto seemed to hesitate on the spot before remaining still, as the rain continued to pour outside…

Sasuke felt relief surge through his body, then immediately forced himself to become immobile, reducing his breathing and heart rate to mimic that of a genuine slumbering person. He had always been proficient at this imitation ability – being a shinobi sometimes required underhand tactics which involved lowering your enemies' guard and defences, and what was more defenceless than a sleeping person?

But recently, he had found that he had a certain knack for the skill, especially when it came to fooling Sakura during the night… He had found that pretending to sleep shut her up much more efficiently than any other methods, even more effective that his highly respected death glare. Yes he knew her tirades were probably for the best, but sometimes she could be so _damn_ annoying…

It was hard enough to cope with everything all at once – he didn't need to add her rants to his ever-growing list of problems…

Sasuke heard a small shuffle of feet against the floor, and felt his whole body tense in suspense. What the hell was going on? His hallucinations never usually made a sound!! Unless… Unless Sakura had decided to pay him yet another nightly visit…?

The Uchiha risked parting his eyes slightly, only to see the back of Naruto's head leaving his room. He blinked in shock.

"Don't leave…" he called out before he could stop himself, his voice hoarse and barely audible even to his own ears. He immediately berated himself for such a stupid action – now his vision was _ definitely_ going to disappear…

But to his utter surprise, the image seemed to freeze on the spot.

Taking this as some form of encouragement, Sasuke continued. "Don't leave… Please don't leave…"

The Uchiha opened his eyes properly now for a prolonged observation, and even in the dark he could make out Naruto's form, make out every curve of his body, every ruffle of his unruly golden hair…

He frowned slightly… Was it him, or was Naruto's hair looking less windswept tonight? It was actually looking quite flat, almost tamed… Was it… was it _wet_?

But… But if it was wet, and it _was_ raining outside, then…

Then…

Sasuke gasped loudly and sat up in shock. Maybe this _wasn't_ a hallucination!

"Naruto?"

---------------------------------------------

Naruto felt his world come crashing down abruptly.

_Sasuke was awake? _

Why didn't he notice it before? He could've sworn that the Uchiha's breathing was that of a steady sleeper…

"Oh god, Naruto, don't go…"

The blonde tensed. How could he be so stupid! What the hell was he doing here?! Why the hell didn't he leave when he had the chance? He had to get out… He had to get out immediately…

"Please, Naruto… Don't leave me…"

Naruto clenched his eyes shut. This was the exact reason why he was avoiding the Uchiha, avoiding him and everyone around him… He was eluding these situations, these agonizing confrontations because of the ache it caused, and the implacable pain it instigated… He could hardly bear it anymore…

_It just hurt so damn much- _

"I'm sorry Naruto…" Sasuke choked, his voice full of unconcealed emotion. He was speaking hurriedly as if this were the last time he would ever get the opportunity to speak to the blonde. "I know I've never treated you well in the past… But we can still be friends right? I can't… I can't lose you as a friend as well…"

"I'm… I'm sorry… Please, please Naruto…" he trailed off, as if afraid that the other boy might just disappear…

"Please don't be a stranger…"

Naruto clenched his fists together tightly, as the words seared through his entire being, burning his heart, burning his soul…

"I know… I know I've been a terrible friend… I… I never told you anything about myself… And I never asked you anything about your life either… You probably thought that I didn't trust you… But I did! I… I trusted you with my life…"

"I'm… God, I'm so sorry Naruto…" the Uchiha's voice was on the edge of desperation. "But will you listen to me now? I'll tell you now, I'll tell you everything… It's never too late, right? You always used to say that it was better late than never…"

Naruto willed himself to walk away, to simply walk out the room and never look back. Wouldn't it hurt a lot less? Wouldn't it stop the pain from numbing his entire soul, as it had already done on numerous occasions?

After all, pain was good in its own way… It benefited us because it warned us of any danger and approaching hazards… For example, a toothache advised us to look after out teeth properly, and a burn alerted us that fires could cause pain and damage… Which led to one of the basic laws of nature – if it hurt, then simply stop doing it…! Or at least try your best to diminish the pain… After all – no one in their right mind would actually _anticipate_ pain with happiness, nor try to _prolong_ it…

So why was it that no matter how much it hurt, he still couldn't walk away from Sasuke?

_Why couldn't he just walk away and save himself a lot of heartache? _

"I… I know I've always acted cold and unfeeling, but the truth is I… I guess I was afraid…" Sasuke rushed his words, without really being aware of what he was really saying. He felt as if he kept trying to explain, it would somehow keep Naruto standing there, if only for a little bit longer…

_Even if it did mean baring his shattered soul once more… _

"I… After everyone around me died… I… I felt really… I felt _so_ empty… And cold… I… I don't know how to explain it… But… But it was as if my will to live had been ripped from my soul…"

"Oh god, Naruto, it was so cold…"

Naruto bit down harshly upon his lower lip, drawing blood from the earlier wound. He knew only too well how the coldness felt. He felt it everyday… He felt it every time someone looked at him, looked at him as if he himself were the demon fox, as if everything that had ever gone wrong in the history of Konoha all somehow directed back towards him…

"It… It was so much easier… To just act like I didn't care… I thought… I thought that maybe I could fool myself? That maybe if everyone believed it, then I might start believing it myself…" Sasuke trailed off, his voice overwhelmed by emotion.

"It really hurt Naruto…" he whispered uncertainly. "Being alone… It's the worse kind of pain… Having no one there when you came home, no one to ask you about your day, no one to protect nor care for you…"

"But it surrounded me… The loneliness… And the villagers… They… They acted as if they cared…" the Uchiha's voice cracked under his unconcealed anguish. "But they didn't – they were nothing but damned hypocrites! I _still_ came home to an empty house… They didn't _really_ care! How could they have when they just _left_ me like that? They… They were there during the day, but I was _still_ alone! In such a big house… It was… So secluded… So isolated and lonely…"

"That's why I became indifferent – I cut out everyone who tried to make an impression in my life, including you… Don't get me wrong Naruto, I hated being alone… But the pain of losing someone close was a thousand times worse…"

"I thought…" Sasuke paused, as if gathering his wits together for his next confession. "I thought that if I embraced loneliness that the pain might start to dull… It couldn't get any worse right…? I… I couldn't bear to lose anyone else close to me again - I couldn't risk getting attached when there was a chance I might be left alone…" his voiced trailed off in uncertainty… "Even if I lose the happiness and comfort of relationships and bonds… It didn't matter, because at least that meant I was spared from the pain in the end…"

"It… It just hurt so much the first time…"

Naruto clenched his fists together tightly. He had never thought of it that way before… He had always thought that he was the only one who suffered the pains of loneliness… He thought that he was the only one that hated to be alone…

He had just assumed that the raven-haired boy enjoyed his independence… That the raven-haired boy just _wanted_ to be alone…

_Maybe Sasuke was more like him than he wanted to believe… _

"But you changed that in me Naruto… You taught me how to trust again, taught me how to feel… You made me see that attachment was not a liability, and that true power came from protecting special people… I realised that you were my special someone ever since that battle with Haku… Then… Little by little you opened me up, and you reached into my soul…"

"And… And I don't want to be alone anymore…" the Uchiha's voice became desperate. "I hated it, and I don't want it anymore… Please Naruto, don't leave me… Just don't leave me alone anymore…"

Naruto spun around angrily and glared at the silhouette of the Uchiha. He just couldn't hold it back any longer. "You really are a fucking selfish jerk you know that?" his voice trembled with barely disguised rage, his mind too enraged to regret his harsh words. "You think you're the only one who hurts? You think you're the only one who fucking suffered? I've been alone since the day I was born! I didn't know my parents! I didn't even have any memories of them to fucking miss!"

"And you don't have all the villagers looking at you as if you were the worst kind of shit to ever grace their fucking planet! They treated me as if I were the fox, as if I killed all those people 20 years ago… And you know what? They still do! They still think it's my fucking fault!"

"At least they respected you! At least they didn't abuse you as a child, they didn't spit at you, torment you…" Naruto felt the words choking him. "At least they didn't blame you for your parent's death… They didn't tell you that your parents probably committed suicide rather than having to suffer and live with a fucked up demonic son… They didn't tell you that your parents were probably happier and better off dead…"

"And you know what? For all I know, everything they said could be true! For all I know, maybe my parents did kill themselves! You know how that feels?" Naruto whispered harshly, the coldness evident in his eyes, as he clenched his fists angrily. "Do you know how it feels when you can't even defend you own parents, because frankly, you didn't know them at all? Because, maybe… Maybe the villagers are right! Maybe it _was_ my fault! Maybe my parents _were_ fucking cowards!"

Naruto stopped his tirade and tried to gather his remaining dignity together. He tried his best to suppress his unnatural anger and to stay calm… After all, it wasn't Sasuke's fault… It wasn't Sasuke's fault that he was born this way… It wasn't Sasuke's fault that the villagers were less than accepting…

It wasn't Sasuke's fault that maybe – just maybe he _was_ a fucking demon…

"So don't you fucking dare complain! Maybe your childhood could've been better, but trust me, it could've been a whole lot worse… At least you have your memories – precious memories that can never be taken away from you… I don't even have those…"

"You are what you make for yourself Sasuke…" Naruto muttered, as the anger slowly webbed out of his system leaving him completely drained and exhausted. "_You're_ in control, not your past and definitely not your memories… And you're _not_ alone anymore – just take a look around you…! You don't have to suffer anymore if you just give Sakura a chance…"

The blonde turned a pleading gaze at the hunched figure at the bed. "Why can't you give her a chance Sasuke? Just… Just what more do you want?"

Silence engulfed the pair for a few overwrought seconds, wrapping around the two, threatening to choke them…

"I want you," came the whispered reply. "I want you in my life… I want to be with you, I want to hold you… Is that too much to ask?"

"I know you've always been alone too… I know you've suffered a lot… I'm… I'm sorry if it seemed as if I didn't notice… As if I didn't care… I…" Sasuke trailed off, licking his lips in the process. "I guess… I guess I was so consumed by my own fear of losing you that I ignored your feelings and stayed distant… I… I was just too scared of getting attached…"

"I've watched you for a long time Naruto…" Sasuke's voice became a touch softer as he reminisced about their past. "I watched you when you weren't aware of it, when you weren't paying any attention… I've seen those rare times when your guards were truly lowered, when you didn't feel the need to put on a front…"

"I know you used to act loud just to get attention, just to feel acknowledged… It seemed as if any attention, no matter how good or bad, somehow convinced you of your own existence… And I can tell that you still have and still use those masks now… You're still hiding, still running…"

Naruto felt his defiance slump wearily to the ground. How did Sasuke know? How did Sasuke manage to discover his deeply buried secrets? How did he learn about his masks and facades? How did he work out something that countless other people couldn't even begin to fathom?

The blonde felt his control slip hazardously through his fingers. How was it that Sasuke was the only one who managed to delve into the deep refines of his soul? How did he manage to slip into the one heavily protected place that no one had ever ventured before?

Was he really that easy to understand and decipher? Or did Sasuke read _everyone_ like an open book?

"Just what are you running from Naruto?" Sasuke asked softly. "You lecture me about how I shouldn't let my past control me, and yet you're letting your own fear control you… But why…? Just why are you still hiding…?"

The blonde stared emotionlessly at the floor. He had no answers.

"I… I know you don't want to be alone either…" Sasuke murmured, softly. "And I promise you now Naruto, I won't leave you again…"

"I will _never ever_ leave your side…"

"Shut up, just shut up!" Naruto yelled suddenly, the frustration overwhelming him. Why was Sasuke saying this? Why was he _deliberately_ lying to him? Because in the end, no matter what happens, the Uchiha _will_ leave! He _will_ leave just like everyone else! He _will_ leave just like he did 5 years ago, without a second thought, without a second glance behind…

"Don't you ever make me promises you can't keep!" he snapped, his eyes ablaze with anger. Sasuke knew the risks involved in getting attached to other people… He _knew_ how much it hurt, how much it hurt to let go… So why promise the impossible? Why hurt the blonde even more with his hopeless vows?

Why make pledges that were clearly unachievable?

"I'm not lying, Naruto…" Sasuke whispered, the tension straining his voice, almost choking him. "I'm promising you now, from the bottom of my heart… I will never leave you… _I will never ever leave you again…"_

The blonde felt the pressure increase within his chest, and clenched his eyes shut in desperation. Why was Sasuke doing this to him? Why was he making this so much harder for the both of them?

Naruto felt his leg twitch impatiently. He couldn't stay - he just couldn't handle it anymore… These emotions, these promises – they were all confusing him, overwhelming him… He had to leave… He had to leave and clear his head…

He had to leave before it hurt too much…

"Tell me something Naruto…" the raven-haired boy murmured, desperation apparent in his voice, as if sensing the restlessness and the impeding departure of the blonde. "Just tell me one thing before you go…"

"Tell me Naruto… Are you happy?"

Naruto felt his head swim. Was he happy? What kinda question was that? Well he was alive, he had his health… He had sufficient food, and he had somewhere comfortable to sleep… He should be happy right? Sure, things _could_ be better, but he still had all the basic necessities of life, and he had his dreams… He _still_ had his ambition of being Hokage…

But was he _happy_? Was he happy with what he had? Well, he was definitely contented – there were plenty of other people less fortunate than him… After all, one should _never_ take things for granted…

But… But was it selfish to want more? Was it selfish to _desire_ more?

Was it selfish that in the deepest confines of his heart, the absolute truth was that he wanted no more than the one Uchiha Sasuke?

"Answer me Naruto… Are you happy? Are you happy with _her_?"

The blonde felt his mind crash abruptly, as a spasm of confusion flitted across his face. _Her_? Who exactly was _her_?

…Was Sasuke on about the whole Hinata-girlfriend thing again?

"Yes… I'm happy…" Naruto pronounced carefully, wondering how the hell the Uchiha managed to come to the bizarre conclusion that Hinata was his girlfriend! They hardly ever spoke to each other for god's sake! But as long as the raven-haired boy thought he was already dating someone, then he would slowly back off, right?

"I'm very happy with her… In fact, I… I love her…" the blonde lied, wondering why the hell his false confession hurt so much. But it was worth it as long as it kept Sasuke away… And as long as he stayed away, then the less he would become attached…

And he less he became attached, then the less it would hurt…

_But was it even theoretically possible to become more attached than he already was? _

Tense silence coated the air, as both boys seemed to simultaneously hold their breaths.

"You're lying…" Sasuke finally concluded, although the wobbling of his voice betrayed his doubt. "I… I've watched you Naruto… I…" the Uchiha trailed off unsteadily. "I've seen you… I know you're unhappy… You're hiding behind that façade of yours again… Don't… Don't lie to me because I know!"

"You don't know me!" Naruto interrupted, his voice cracking under the intensity of the situation.

_No one knew him… No one really knew him… _

"I've watched you!" Sasuke whispered harshly. "I've watched you for years – don't tell me that I don't know you! I… I can see it in your eyes Naruto… You're hurting - you're hurting as much as I am…"

Naruto clenched his fists stiffly, as he felt moisture beginning to sting his eyes.

"Tell me Naruto! Does your heart hurt as much as mine? Does it? Cos mine shatters every time I see you, every time I feel you near… It hurts so much, to see you and not have to the right to hold you… To smell you but not have permission to touch nor taste you… It… It feels as if I'm ripped apart from the inside…"

"Don't you understand? I… I can't let you go! I've tried… I've tried so hard Naruto…" the raven-haired boy trailed off into a whisper, his outburst draining him of his remaining energy. "I'm trying so hard…"

Naruto felt a solitary tear escape his resistance. No matter how much it seemed wrong, no matter how much it hurt at the moment… He _knew_ he was doing the right thing – Sasuke _will_ be happier without him… He may not know it know, but the Uchiha will probably thank him in the future…

It was hard, but he had already admitted defeat. Sakura had won.

"Marry Sakura, Sasuke… Just marry her… Don't…" his voice became choked with emotion. "Just don't make this any harder…"

The raven-haired boy smiled bitterly, as the rain continued to pour relentlessly in the background. "How, Naruto? How can I possibly make it any harder than it already is? What could possibly be harder than committing your life to someone, when someone else invades your mind and soul?"

Thick silence choked the air.

"Tell me Naruto…" Sasuke continued, his voice soft and apparent with utter distress and sorrow. "How am I supposed to give her my heart when someone else owns it? Is it fair? Is it really fair on her?"

Naruto was about to reply when a certain sound of shattering glass reached his ears. He spun around instantaneously, his breath hitching uncomfortably in his throat. His eyes travelled in the dim light from the broken glass upon the floor, to the puddle of steaming liquid, then upwards until it reached a familiar figure…

…A figure with an expression etched with heartbreaking distress, eyes widened in disbelief…

Naruto choked.

"S-Sakura?"

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End chapter 16

Ack. I didn't like this chapter much... But I like writing an angry Naruto... Seems more in character. This is a bit fillerish as well - but I wanted to emphasise the fact that both boys had pretty crap childhoods... And the fact that Sasuke won't be leaving Naruto ever again...!

And finally - if you would like to join the mailing list, please leave me a review with your email addy in it, or mail me purrfectly679hotmail.com!

Thanks for reading! Ja ne!


	17. To feel my spirit calm

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto.   
**Title**: I think I better leave right now - chapter 17**  
Author**: Purrfectly679 - e-mail purrfectly679hotmail.com for comments and suggestions. Feedback highly appreciated.  
**Rating**: PG-13, angst, bad language, blood. SakuSasu, SasuNaru  
**Notes**: No spoilers. This is a revised repost. Thank you so much to everyone for the reviews...!

**Previously**: Sakura overhears Sasuke's conversation with Naruto.

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_"How can I possibly make it any harder than it already is? What could possibly be harder than committing your life to someone, when someone else invades your mind and soul?" _

Sakura stared horrified, eyes wide in shock at the two boys in front of her. The cup of tea she had originally prepared for Naruto laid broken and shattered upon the floor – the hot liquid seeping slowly into the wooden floor - very much like pain leaking into her own heart…

So it was true – it _was_ true - after all the doubts, after all the suspicions… There _was_ someone else…

_Sasuke was in love with someone else… _

She took a step forward, not even wincing as her bare feet came into contact with the sharp shards of glass scattered all over the floor. The physical pain was nothing compared to the agony running through her heart, the agony coursing through her soul…

_Sasuke… Sasuke with someone else…? But how…? And why?? _

"Sa-Sasuke?" she stammered weakly, half in denial at the Uchiha's outburst of words. It couldn't be true, could it? Not after everything they had been through… Not after all the fighting, all the blood…

All the unforgiving blood…

_"How am I supposed to give her my heart when someone else owns it? Is it fair? Is it really fair on her?" _

Maybe it was a dream! Another nightmare perhaps? It wasn't impossible! Maybe she had fallen asleep without even realising it… Maybe the night's transpirations had finally taken a toll on her already exhausted body, leaving her passed out and sleeping on the kitchen floor…

"Sa-Sakura… Stop Sakura… You're… You're bleeding…" Naruto stammered, as he made his way towards the trembling girl. He appeared to be on the verge of a panic attack, unsure of what to do in such a situation…

And yet she paid him no heed.

It just seemed… Seemed _unreal_… Even if she had earlier doubts about Sasuke's faithfulness – that's all they were – _just_ doubts! _Nothing_ more than plain unfounded suspicion… Sasuke… _Sasuke just wouldn't_…! He would _never_ do this to her… It… It _couldn't_ be true…

_It just couldn't be true… _

"Sasuke?" she repeated, ignoring Naruto's advancement as a stifled sob escaped her lips. It wracked through her entire body, making her knees go weak. And not once did she look into the direction of the blonde approaching her cautiously…

"Tell me… Tell me it's not true…" she whimpered, seeming oblivious to everything around her but Sasuke. She didn't feel the pain as she finally collapsed - didn't feel the splinters of glass impaling her knees and legs, nor the hot tea that ruthlessly scalded her bare skin… She didn't feel the strong arms around her, offering her support, desperately trying to shift her away from the broken shards upon the floor… She didn't even realise as she forcefully pushed the blonde away, nor the look of utter distress crossing his features as she did so…

All she saw was Sasuke – Sasuke sitting up in bed – his eyes sad and remorseful… Even in the dark she could make out his silhouette, his posture drained and slumped, as if extremely weary… He seemed defenceless, unguarded – something very uncharacteristic of the usually stoic boy…

"I'm sorry Sakura," came the soft reply, the Uchiha's voice unusually exposed and emotional – betraying the profound sorrow and regret running deep inside.

The pink haired girl blanched, not even realising as rivulets of crimson blood ran down her pale legs. Why was Sasuke apologising? Why was he _fucking_ apologising for something that wasn't true?! Cos it wasn't true!! It _couldn't _be true!

_It just couldn't be fucking true damn it! _

"You're lying!" Sakura spat, her eyes wide and flickering in desperation. Why was Sasuke lying to her? Did he hate her that much? Was it an excuse to postpone the wedding? Maybe he was scared!! She knew that he didn't love her… But… But…

_He couldn't love someone else!! _

"I'm sorry Sakura… I… I should've told you a long time ago…" Sasuke's voice was filled with immeasurable remorse, his usually composed self and emotionless demeanour mislaid.

Sakura's mind reeled in utter mortification – the raven-haired boy had finally lowered his defences in her presence for the very first time… She had _actually_ seen some kind of emotion flicker across his usually passive face…

But why was it sorrow? Why was it regret?

_And why the fuck was he still lying to her? _

"Don't lie to me Sasuke!" she yelled, as tears brimmed her green eyes, distorting her vision of the dark room. "If you're unhappy, just tell me damn it! Stop making up pathetic excuses and hiding behind them!"

"I'm not making up excuses…" Sasuke murmured weakly. "I… I can't marry you Sakura… I… I love someone else…"

"Shut up Sasuke you bastard!" Naruto suddenly yelled, interrupting the dark haired boy and, at the same time, reasserting his presence in the room. He immediately diverted his attention to the trembling girl on the floor, his expression full of anxiety and concern. His instantly voice softened. "Ignore him Sakura, he doesn't know what he's saying! The alcohol just fucked him up a bit, and he's being an idio-"

"Don't you _fucking_ take my feelings lightly, Naruto…" the Uchiha growled, disrupting the blonde's speech, severe danger lacing his low tone of voice. His softly spoken regretful words were gone, replaced by ones of utmost anger. "This isn't easy for me you know! I've told you everything - I've been to hell and back, so don't you ever dare ridicule me! Don't you ever _fucking_ dare disregard my feelings!"

Sakura tensed as she felt trembling arms wrap around her, lifting her gently off the floor and off the broken glass. Sasuke's words still echoed in aimlessly in her mind…

_"I… I can't marry you Sakura… I… I love someone else…" _

It couldn't be true could it? Sasuke… With someone else?? Is that why he kept disappearing for days on end? Did he disappear just to meet her? Just to continue their forbidden affair?

But why did he agree to marry her then? Why did he agree to marry her when his heart belonged to someone else? Why did he lead her on? Why lead her on when he _knew_ that he meant the world to her? He _knew_ that she would've gladly died for him damn it!

Just what had she done wrong? She had given _everything_ to him! _Every fucking thing_! She had given up her entire life for him 5 years ago, and she was willing to give it up all over again… She had offered her heart on a silver platter; she had _even_ devoted her soul… What more did he want? Just what more could he possibly _need_?

She had been there for him, throughout the whole Itachi ordeal… Throughout the pain, the training, the injuries… Throughout the tears, the hurt, the hopelessness…

She didn't even complain when he randomly disappeared for days! She didn't scold him, nor force him to act against his will… She hadn't yelled at him, insulted him… She had been nothing but patient!

_God, just what the fuck did she do wrong? _

"I… I don't understand… Sasuke?" Sakura murmured weakly, tears pouring relentlessly from her eyes, rivalling the rain still pounding against the window. "I… I haven't done anything wrong… Have I? Tell me… Have I done something wrong?"

"Tell me damn it!" she cried, as sobs overtook her body. Naruto instinctively tightened his arms around her to provide comfort, but this seemed to have no affect upon the pink-haired girl. "Tell me! What has she got that I don't? Is she prettier? Sexier? Smarter? Or what? Tell me Sasuke! Tell me what's so special about your fucking little whore?!"

All this earned her was a flinch from Naruto, followed by a few hushed murmurs, soft words trying to calm her, coaxing her to believe that everything was going to be alright…

She didn't listen. How could things be _alright_? How could they _ever_ be alright? What did the blonde know? Nothing bad _ever_ happened to him! He knew nothing about pain! He knew nothing about how it was like to suffer!

_He had no fucking right to say anything! _

"I'm not giving up on you!" she muttered, her eyes becoming hauntingly blank. "You hear me? Whatever she's got… I'll be her! I'll be her for you… Just… Just tell me what to do!! I'll do… I'll _be_ anything for you…"

Tense silence descended on the room.

"Are you listening to me Sasuke? I'm not giving up! I don't care what you say – we're getting married Sasuke. **We're. Getting. Married**..."

"Sakura…It's late…Let's talk about this in the morning…" Sasuke seemed to revert back to his usual cold self with ease. His voice was completely devoid of emotion – an immense contrast to the regretful and angry person only a few moments before.

"We're fucking getting married you hear me?" Naruto flinched as the pink-haired girl shrieked in his arms, aggravating her wounds, spilling even more precious crimson blood. "I've given up too much for you! It's always been about you, you, you! Well what about what I want huh? What about my fucking needs?"

"Sakura, don't-"

"YOU SHUT UP YOU!" she screamed at the blonde in frustration, tears spilling out of her eyes in distress. "You knew all along you bastard! You knew all along yet you never said anything! I was wrong about you Naruto… You were supposed to be my friend!"

"My friend Naruto…" she choked, the emotion overwhelming her, as she roughly shoved the blonde away. "You were supposed to be my friend… Bet you had a good laugh at my expense…!"

"It's not like that, I-"

"Go away Naruto…" Sakura muttered coldly, the initial fury fading to bitter disappointment. "Get out – get out of here… I… I never want to see you again…"

"Listen to me!" Naruto rasped in desperation.

"You betrayed me Naruto!" Sakura shouted, tears splattering all over the floor, mingling with her crimson blood and the now lukewarm tea. "You betrayed me! There's nothing more to say! I thought… I _thought_ I could depend on you! You… You knew _all_ along and yet you _never_ said anything!"

"How could you do that to me?" she whispered hoarsely, the heartbreak evident in her voice. "How could you sit around and listen to my problems… How could you_ comfort_ me when you _knew_ that he was with someone else? When you _knew_ what was wrong all along…"

"I'm… I'm sorry…" Naruto whispered weakly, as he slumped dejectedly onto the floor. She didn't see the disbelief and regret in his eyes, nor the angry blame that he directed at himself. She didn't notice his tears - silver tears that flowed freely, mixing furiously with hers… Tears betraying the utter pain and agony he felt inside…

_She didn't see the hopelessness in his eyes… _

"I… I trusted you…" she murmured weakly, as she clenched her eyes shut in desperation. "I trusted you and you betrayed me…"

"I'm… sorry…" the blonde repeated hoarsely, as silence once again filled the room.

Sakura bit down upon her bottom lip, urging herself to wake up… This was just too much like a bad dream… None of this could really be happening, could it…? It just _had_ to be a fucking nightmare! She couldn't be deceived by _both_ of them in one night damn it!

_She couldn't lose both of her most important people… _

"Tell me Naruto…" she slowly opened her eyes and stared at the blonde, her tears blurring her vision. "Was it worth it?" she choked. "Whatever… Whatever _sick_ joke you were playing… Was it worth it?"

"That's enough Sakura," Sasuke muttered coldly.

"You can shut up as well!" the pink-haired girl retaliated harshly, her head spinning around violently to meet the Uchiha's glare. "You are in NO position to tell me what to do!"

"I… really am… so… sorry…" Naruto interrupted the two, his whisper barely audible. She was so absorbed in her own anger that she didn't notice as his usually bright blue eyes became hauntingly bare, as if his life and soul had been prematurely sucked out from within him…

_As if he had just lost all his will to live… _

"Just leave Naruto…" she murmured weakly, as her resentment drained away her remaining energy. "It hurts… You don't know how much it hurts… I… I don't want to see you again…"

_"I never want to see you again…" _

She was only mildly aware of a body slowly standing up, and stumbling unsteadily on his feet. She continued to cry as the one person she had confided in – the one person she had put all her trust in – slowly turned his back on her and walked out of the room…

"I never expected you to understand…" she whispered softly, the figure freezing in mid-step at the sound of her voice. "You've never been hurt… What would _you_ know about suffering?" she slumped wearily, the words spilling from her mouth before she could fully comprehend the severity of her words.

"After all - what would a _demon_ know about pain?"

The sound of a front door clicking shut was all that greeted her ears 5 seconds later.

----------------------------------------------

"Maruuu!" a voice whined, dragging the poor slumbering boy back into the world of consciousness. He groaned and rubbed his eyes wearily against the bright light. Why the hell was it so bright anyway…?

"Mmhhmm…" he mumbled before rolling over and promptly returning to the enticing realm of sleep…

"Maru…"a soft voice growled dangerously. "You promised!"

"Yuh huh…" the boy unconsciously agreed, before snuggling deeper into the warm duvet. So warm and fluffy…

"Shikamaru!" the voice was edging impatience.

The dark pony-tailed man opened his eyes reluctantly and frowned. Ino had called him _Shikamaru_. She _never_ called him _Shikamaru_ unless it was something serious…

He sighed despondently. Just what had he done wrong now?

"Yes darling…?" he murmured weakly, before he was swiftly and violently shoved out of his warm comfortable bed. He hit the hard and cold floor with a resonating thud.

"You've slept enough…" the blonde haired girl pouted. "It's 11am already…!"

"So?" he muttered, crossing his arms in irritation. It was only 11am for God's sake! It happened to be one of his rare days off, and he was planning to stay in bed till at least noon!

"Sakura, remember?" Ino glared, as if daring him to forget.

He sighed dejectedly as a vague memory of promising to visit the pink haired girl popped up into his mind. But why did _ he_ have to go? After all, he didn't really know anything about her… And they hardly ever spoke!!

"Come on then…" the blonde haired girl whined impatiently. "Let's get going… Geez you're so lazy _Shikamaru_!"

The dark pony-tailed man sighed glumly. Why did everything have to be so troublesome? And now he had to visit the Uchiha's first thing in the morning… He rolled his eyes. What a _great_ way to start the day…

---------------------------------------

Hinata stood nervously in front of Naruto's apartment. It was around 11.30am… Not too early and not too late… Naruto should be home right? She hoped that he wasn't asleep… The last thing she wanted to do was to disturb or annoy him in any way…

She hid her head in her trembling hands as the full realisation of the situation hit her… She was outside the blonde's apartment! She was _actually_ standing outside his apartment…!

_Gah just what the hell was she doing there?! _

She clutched a bunch of invitations tightly against her chest, as if to remind herself that she actually had a purpose there. Basically, it was going to be Neji's birthday in a few days, and she wanted to throw him a surprise party… Hence the unannounced visit…

She flushed as a memory of Naruto hugging her drifted into her mind… Gah just how was she supposed to face him now?!

'_Come on Hinata!_' she murmured to herself. _'You've come all the way out here – so there's no point turning back now…' _

Whimpering slightly, she raised her hand and knocked shakily on the front door. And then she waited.

And waited.

After about 2 minutes of silent uncertainty, the dark-haired girl decided to knock again.

No answer.

She frowned, her nervousness vanishing almost immediately as her curiosity took over. She knew that Naruto didn't have any missions today… So if he wasn't at home… Then where was he?

Sighing a little dejectedly, Hinata slipped a single invitation under the blonde's front door before walking slowly away from the apartment. She was actually slightly relieved that he wasn't at home – at least that meant she could put off talking to him a little while longer… But a bigger part of her was actually quite disappointed…

To be honest, she kinda missed him…

She glanced at her bundle of invites and smiled slightly in reprieve. At least there were only a few more to go through… She decided to go visit Kiba and Shino first, since they both lived relatively close to Naruto… Then Ino, and Shikamaru…

She chuckled softly in amusement. It was _soo _obvious that they were together!!

Her smile faded as it reached the last invitation. _Sasuke and Sakura_. A shiver ran up her spine – her last confrontation with the raven-haired boy hadn't gone too smoothly… He had been so _dark_… So _angry_… And she _still_ didn't know what she had done wrong!

Hinata bit down upon her lower lip, her breath faintly hitching in fear. Whatever she did, she fervently hoped that he wasn't _still_ pissed off at her… Because unlike before, she didn't have Naruto to protect her this time…

--------------------------------------------

Naruto was walking. He had been walking ever since he had left the Uchiha household - just walking mindlessly - oblivious of his surroundings, unaware of his destination… He travelled wherever his two feet took him, as turbulent thoughts rushed furiously through his mind, confusing him, hurting him…

He wasn't aware that he had been walking for nearly 8 hours straight, never stopping, never ceasing his steady pace… He had walked through the storm without even so much as flinching, the rain drowning him yet cleansing him at the same time... He wasn't even aware of being dangerously close to the village outskirts, where rogue ninjas were a frequent occurrence…

He finally collapsed under a tall oak tree, the weariness from the previous day's training and the lack of sleep catching up to him. His clothes were already dry, and although he wasn't physically cold, he felt perversely like ice inside…

He smiled bitterly, his eyes lifeless, his soul bare… Even the great Kyuubi's power wasn't enough to melt his frozen heart…

_"You betrayed me, Naruto!" _

He clenched his fists tightly together as onslaughts of tormenting memories attacked him head on. He didn't mean to hurt her! He had _never_ wanted to hurt her! She was one of his _first_ friends… One of his _only_ friends… Why didn't she see? He had tried _so_ hard! He had tried _so_ hard and yet somehow, he _still_ managed to hurt her…

He was so fucking useless! Why couldn't he do anything right?

_"What so special about your fucking little whore?" _

Naruto smiled bitterly – he wasn't special… He wasn't special at all, unless it involved hurting other people… He had an extraordinary knack for ruining other people's lives…

He sighed. He knew that Sasuke didn't love him… They had _nothing_ together! They were _nothing_ but a consequence of pent up teenage hormones… Sasuke could _never_ love him, no matter how much he managed to convince himself otherwise…

Maybe it _was_ just for the sex… Maybe the Uchiha _did_ only want him for sex – not for love, and definitely _not_ for life… After all, love and sex could easily be confused… Maybe he _was_ nothing but a _fucking little whore_... A little whore that could be easily used and effortlessly replaced… _A worthless little demon whore… _

_"I never want to see you again…" _

The blonde shut his eyes tightly, as tears of frustration threatened to spill from them. He didn't blame her… Not really… He deserved everything he got and more… Just what kind of friend was he anyway? Just what kind of friend fucks around with the other's fiancé? He had committed the ultimate betrayal, and now he had to pay the ultimate price... She was going to hate him...

_She was going to hate him __l__ike everyone else did._

_"What would a demon know about pain?" _

Maybe she was right… Maybe the villagers had been right all along… Just what _did_ he know about pain? The only pain and suffering associated with demons was the fact that they caused it… They did nothing but destroy… Caused nothing but devastation…

Maybe… Maybe he was a demon… It would make sense after all… At least he had some kinda excuse for his actions, right?

So maybe he _was_ a demon…

_Maybe he was nothing but a life wrecking demon… _

----------------------------------

Sasuke woke up with a splitting headache, as the sound of a door being slammed alerted his awakening senses. He rubbed his eyes groggily, before recollections of the previous night slammed roughly into his brain.

_Sakura knew! _

He sat up in bed as a surge of nausea immediately rushed through him, followed by a smaller wave of utmost relief… At least the secret was out now in the open – he no longer had to hide…

_And he no longer had to lie… _

He sighed wearily as erratic memories rushed hazardously though his mind. He remembered Naruto leaving while it was still raining… Then Sakura had run to their shared bedroom in tears… Then he remembered falling asleep shortly afterwards, as the alcohol finally took a toll on his already exhausted body…

He winced gingerly as another spasm of pain attacked his head. Ugh whoever invented alcohol must be rolling in his grave…

Blinking away the bleariness from his eyes, Sasuke noticed with dismay that his room was a complete mess. Broken glass and a strange coloured liquid adorned his wooden floor, accompanied by the distinctive metallic stench of blood… He grimaced in distaste. Tea, mixed with blood, mixed with tears…

Not _exactly_ a pleasant combination of aromas…

Taking a deep breath, the Uchiha slowly positioned his aching legs out of his bed. He immediately reached for the glass of water positioned upon his bedside table, and gratefully downed it along with a couple of aspirin. God, how he hated to depend on drugs and medicine, but sometimes desperate deeds called for desperate measures…

Placing the glass back upon the table, he sighed wearily before instructing his unresponsive limbs to react and stand up. His legs immediately gave out at the sudden command, causing him to collapse ungracefully upon the floor… A stray shard of glass impaled deep into his right calf, but he felt no pain… He felt _nothing_… He felt nothing but numbness…

He sighed resentfully. God he was a mess…

Raking a hand through his coarse hair in distraction, he was suddenly attacked by a new wave of stale cigarette smoke, from the club no doubt. The stench clung to him, as if bonding with every particle of his being, choking him, suffocating him… As if daring him to forget about his guilt, his shame… He blanched in disgust.

Blood, tears and now smoke…

Could his morning get any worse?

----------------------------------------------

Naruto felt a piercing gaze upon him long before he acted upon the sensation. Although he was physically drained, his senses were still in full working order, thanks to the tremendous stamina of the demon fox. But he knew he wasn't in any condition to fight – he was just too tired, his mind too confused…

"I don't have any money…" he muttered dully, after a moment's silence, although deep inside he was hoping fervently that he hadn't accidentally stumbled across a gang of rogue ninja's. He had heard stories about them – great ninjas that had been exiled from their village for ruthless and corrupted deeds – forced to go on the run, striving for existence in the wild…

He knew that they were dangerous – living in the wild obviously strengthened one's physical well-being, as well as reinforcing the mind and the soul… There was even the chance that they were even stronger than Kakashi sensei – a former ANBU member and a highly esteemed jounin… What was that famous saying? Something about adaptation and survival of the fittest? Naruto shook his head wearily in confusion…

Maybe now wasn't the _best_ time to get philosophical…

The blonde frowned as he felt another presence enter the scenario. Was there two of them? How was he supposed to take two of them on in such a weary condition?

"I said I don't have anything…" he muttered loudly, concealing his inner nervousness with an immaculate display of confidence. Maybe having a façade _was_ useful in some circumstances… Especially circumstances where bluffing was a crucial part of the game…

An uncomfortable silence settled around the oak tree. Naruto sighed wearily. Even now he was treated indifferently… Even now he was spied on, victimised… Couldn't a guy mourn in peace? Why couldn't they just leave him alone?

_Why did they never leave him alone? _

After a few tense moments of hesitation, the blonde felt his anger start to build. Why was all this happening to him? What the hell did he do to deserve all this? After dealing with Sakura and Sasuke only a few moments ago, he now had to cope with this?

Everything was just _too_ much… It was all too overwhelming…

_He finally had enough…_

"If you're going to attack me, just get it over and done with already…" he yelled in irritation, anger rushing through his veins as he finally snapped. Bitter emotions surged through his body – memories of Sasuke, Sakura… The pain, the hurt… The betrayal…

"Come get me then! Or are you too fucking afraid?!" he screamed, his pent up frustration bursting out with every word. Maybe he was playing with fire, but who the fuck cared? Maybe it wouldn't be so bad… So what if he were risking his life? It wasn't as if anyone would _actually_ worry… No one would be concerned…

_No one ever cared! _

Naruto stumbled uncertainly to his feet as he heard a soft rustle of leaves. He tensed reluctantly as he realised that the enemy were finally going to reveal themselves… He secretly hoped that they were strong… Strong enough to kill without prolonging the pain…

He sighed to himself in resentful resignation. He had endured enough pain for one lifetime.

Maybe the end wouldn't be so bad…

_Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all… _

--------------------------------------

Sasuke came out of the bathroom feeling reasonably refreshed. His pounding headache had dulled to a somewhat bearable hum and the stench of cigarette smoke had finally left his presence. The water was proficient in relaxing him, washing away the dirt, the guilt, the shame…

He stumbled back to his 'temporary' room unsteadily, before cleaning up the broken glass and the spilt tea from the wooden floor. Fortunately, he managed to dispose of the glittering shards without further incident, although a subtle scent of blood could still be tasted in the air…

Scanning the room for any further disruptions to his habitually immaculate setting, his gaze settled upon 2 random items of clothing abandoned hazardously in the corner. A vague memory of Naruto attempting to borrow his clothing sprung into his mind, but he immediately discarded the wavering thoughts. He decided to leave the garments as they were, knowing very well that touching them would probably bring back the oh-too-familiar scent of the blonde boy…

He shivered inwardly as the memory of Naruto's lips invaded his mind… So soft… So gentle… And yet so _desperate_… And to think that it had been less than 12 hours ago… Less than 12 hours ago he had been in the arms of the blonde... Holding him, needing him, tasting him…

_"I can't… I… I'm sorry Sasuke…" _

Only 12 hours ago that he had been cruelly rejected…

_"This is wrong… This is too wrong!" _

And only 12 hours ago that he had his heart shattered beyond repair…

He shook his head roughly as he felt the familiar pain rise up in his chest, droplets of water splaying freely from his wet hair. Not now… He couldn't think about him now…

He had to stay strong – he couldn't _afford_ to think about him now…

Sighing ever so slightly, the Uchiha proceeded to ravage his closet for something suitable to wear, as his mind raced unnaturally. He was determined to tell Sakura everything – no more running, no more hiding… She deserved the truth…

His stomach clenched uncomfortably as the realisation of the situation sunk in. He had to tell her everything…

And once again, he had to break her heart…

-----------------------------------------

Naruto's entire body tensed in anticipation as his watchers finally revealed themselves. His heart raced erratically as the shadow of one person emerged within his field of vision. He waited anxiously, but after a couple of tense seconds, it was evidently clear that no one else was going to join the solitary figure anytime soon…

_One person? But wasn't there at least two? _

The blonde's pulse raced furiously as his whole body tensed up in suspicion. Maybe someone was still hiding out there and watching? The blonde focussed his remaining chakra to his senses, increasing his overall awareness. His eyebrows bunched in uncertainty – he was almost positive that he had sensed at least two people only a few moments ago, but now all he could sense was the one…

He shrugged – maybe he had sensed a squirrel or something back then…

The dark figure walked closer towards the tall oak tree, causing the blonde's breath to catch unwillingly in his throat. Even with his diminishing attentiveness, Naruto could deduce that the person possessed an _extremely_ dangerous aura… The air particles surrounding him seemed to vibrate vigorously, the energy so great that it was almost visible…

Terrifyingly like the chidori jutsu, except with the _entire_ body…

Naruto shivered in trepidation. How was one person able to retain such immense power…?

The figure walked progressively into the light, and all the blonde could do was wait and stare. He felt as if he were under a strange trance, as if removing his eyes from his opponent for even a split second would immediately instigate his inevitable death…

Ever so slowly, the dark figure became gradually visible to Naruto's eyes. He could immediately tell that it was a man, due to the broad shoulders and the strong limbs that he possessed. He was tall, and appeared to be wearing a dark cloak of some sort… The blonde frowned inwardly… Something about his silhouette… Something… Something just seemed... so _familiar_…

The man stopped abruptly, his face still indistinguishable within the shadows of the forest. Naruto felt nausea run to the pit of his stomach, as his heart pumped his blood furiously around his body. He had never felt so much apprehension in his life… It was nearly impossible to fathom, the copious power radiating from that one individual…

Then all of a sudden, the man appeared right in front of Naruto's eyes. Blue eyes blinked in utter mortification – he didn't even see him move! How the hell did he manage to move so damn fast?!

Whimpering silently in morbid fascination, Naruto slowly raised his head to meet his intruder's eyes…

They were red, crimson… Like blood…

_Sharingan?! _

His heart stopped.

"Sasuke?!"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

End chapter 17

lol Finally something happens....! So _now _you know who the mysterious shadow is Well done to everyone who managed to guess right (which was.... just about _everyone_ lol) scratches head guess I'm not so good at hiding things...

And sorry for the constant character switching O.o' It kinda gave me a headache as well . Ooh ooh angry Sakura... SCARY! And does anyone else feel really really sorry for Hinata?! 

And finally - if you would like to join the mailing list, please leave me a review with your email addy in it, or mail me purrfectly679hotmail.com!

Thanks for reading! Ja ne!


	18. I dont know how to say

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto.   
**Title**: I think I better leave right now - chapter 18  
**Author**: Purrfectly679 - e-mail for comments and suggestions. Feedback highly appreciated.  
**Rating**: PG-13, angst, bad language. SakuSasu, SasuNaru  
**Notes**: No spoilers. This is a revised repost. Thank you so much to everyone for the reviews...!

**Previously**: Sasuke and Sakura are about to have the talk - while Naruto is on the outskirts of Konoha... With ...?!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sakura sat nervously on the couch as she waited for her fiancé to make an appearance. Just what the hell was taking him so long? After much contemplation the night before, she had finally come to a universal conclusion – that there was _no way_ that she was going to let the Uchiha slip through her fingers _that_ easily. And now, all she had to do was simply let him know…

She sighed in apprehension. How in the world did things manage to fuck up so badly? As if discovering about Sasuke's affair wasn't bad enough, she then had to find out that Naruto had known all along…? Her eyes turned cold at the thought of the blonde. She _trusted_ him… How could he… Just… Just how could he? How could he betray her like that? After all the times she had run sobbing into his arms… After all the times she had broken down crying in his presence… He had probably been laughing all along… Laughing at her stupidity, at her patheticness…

She shook her head roughly to dispel her wavering thoughts. No – she couldn't think about him now… She had Sasuke to sort out. She had to let the Uchiha know that she wasn't taking his shit no more. _She was in control._ And believe it or not, she still wanted him, despite the bitter betrayal of trust that he had inflicted upon them. Forgiveness was another matter – she definitely needed time - but she knew that deep inside, she still truly and madly _loved_ him. And love transcended beyond all, right?

So it was time to take control, time to stand up for herself. As Kakashi said, she couldn't keep letting him walk all over her… She had given up too much for him, she had devoted too much… She couldn't just give up upon him…! She was a woman damn it! She had needs as well…!

And it about time that Sasuke grew up and faced the damn music.

A soft shuffle of footsteps informed the pink-haired girl of the raven-haired boy's arrival. She felt her breath hitch in anticipation and fear. It was now or never…

"Sasuke…" her voice was steady and clear, betraying her own anxiety writhing underneath. "We need to talk."

Sasuke looked at her stonily, his expression easily reverting back to its former impassiveness.

"Hai."

--------------------------------------------

"Sasuke, what the hell are you doing here?!" Naruto exclaimed in surprise, as he finally regained control of his own body, including the use of his voice. He flinched inwardly as he gazed at the stoic boy, standing ever so calmly… He looked as if nothing would ever faze him…

_God, just when did Sasuke become so strong? His aura… So much killer intent… _

_It's terrifying… _

"I followed you," the voice was soft, and assured, as if following the blonde was the most natural thing in the world. Naruto shivered as the red gaze was once again focussed upon him. Why did Sasuke have his sharingan activated? Were they in some kind of danger?

"H-How's your head?" he stammered, unable to think of anything else to say. The Uchiha had only been drinking the night before… So what the hell was he doing here? And how the hell did he find enough energy to follow him? Shouldn't he at least have a hangover or something?

He wasn't superman you know!

"It's fine." The answer was short and curt, typical of the raven-haired boy and yet so different from the emotional person that had recently opened up to the blonde. Naruto swallowed heavily. He had never felt so afraid in the Uchiha's presence before… Just what the hell was going on?

He didn't even realise that he had been retreating away from the other boy until his back encountered the oak tree he had been sitting under. He collided with the wooden trunk heavily, emitting a loud and resonating thud.

Suddenly, two arms were slammed either side of his head, trapping the blonde tightly against the tree. Blue eyes widened in fear as the taller man loomed over him. What the hell was Sasuke doing?! Was he still drunk?!

"S-Sasuke?" he stuttered uncertainly, as his blood pounded furiously through his head, roaring in his ears… Something was wrong… Something… _ Something wasn't right…_ His stomach clenched in trepidation… For some strange reason he found that he couldn't tear his gaze away from the pair of crimson sharingan eyes, no matter how hard he tried...

_So red… As red as blood… _

"Sasuke, what the hell-"

A pair of lips swiftly descended and efficiently silenced the blonde.

----------------------------------------

Sasuke froze in mid-step.

"Sasuke, are you even listening to me?" Sakura glared, her voice bitter and full of impatience. What the hell was wrong with the boy? Here she was, trying her best to sort out their dysfunctional relationship, and all he could do was choke up and look stiff?

_Just what the hell was wrong with him?! _

She sighed wearily. Maybe it _was_ too early to start talking… Maybe the alcohol was still affecting his system, causing temporary lapses in his concentration… What other explanation could there be? God, she had never thought it was actually _possible_ for the Uchiha to be so damn inattentive…

"Sasuke?" she repeated, as she struggled to keep her voice steady and composed.

Desperate ebony eyes spun around to meet her green ones.

"Something's wrong…" the raven-haired boy croaked. Her breath hitched in her throat as she realised that the usually unruffled boy was actually trembling…

_Sasuke was actually trembling! _

"What's… What's going on?" Sakura enquired weakly, her eyes wide in apprehension, as her stomach began to clench and unclench uncomfortably… She sighed bitterly – just as she thought that things couldn't possibly get any worse, a new scenario just _had_ to arise and slap her hard across the face… Just what the hell was going on now? What the hell managed to cause such tremors to ripple through the Uchiha?

God, why did _everything_ have to go against her?

"No…" Sasuke seemed to freeze on the spot, before his eyes widened in dread. "I… I have to go…"

"Go?" Sakura repeated in a semi-state of panic. "Go where?" Was Sasuke leaving again? But they had to talk damn it!! Just what the hell was he up to now? Her voice brimmed with utter frustration – god how she hated being kept in the dark about things!

"I have to go Sakura… I… Something's wrong…" Sasuke began to pace erratically in nervousness. An almost wild look entered his eyes, as if promising a painful death to anyone who dared to stand in his way…

"Sasuke, what's wrong-"

"I have to go now!"

"You're not going anywhere until you tell me what the hell's going on!" Sakura yelled, as her anger returned full force. She felt tears brim her eyes in frustration. She had been with him for 5 years now! 5 whole years! Why the hell was he still keeping things from her? God, they were supposed to be getting married for fuck's sake! They were supposed to _trust_ each other!

_Why wouldn't he still tell her anything? _

"I have to go, I have to go…!" Sasuke's voice was hoarse with trepidation. He ran his trembling hands through his black hair roughly, as an almost hysterical look entered his eyes. He began to stumble unsteadily to the front door, but a pink figure instantaneously blocked his path.

"Tell me what's going on!" Sakura demanded, her voice surprisingly calm and clear, concealing her inner turmoil thrashing violently underneath. She knew it was risky to place herself in the Uchiha's way, especially when he was in such an desperate condition … He seemed almost out of _control_…

And yet she felt as if she _had_ to know… She had to know what managed to faze the usually stoic boy so much… She had to know _why_ he was so damn intimidated…

She smiled bitterly. It was now or never, right? If their relationship were to work, then she'd have to start standing up for herself pronto… No more secrets, no more lies… She would _make_ him trust her, no matter what it took…

Sasuke paused hesitantly in front of the pink-haired girl, as an agitated silence descended upon them. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally lifted his head to meet hers. Sakura flinched as she saw the evident fear and dread within his black eyes…

He swallowed heavily – his voice hoarse and barely audible.

"Itachi's back."

------------------------------------------

Naruto mind went immediately blank as a pair of soft lips descended upon his. Soft, butterfly kisses were placed all over his jaw, as blue eyes widened in shock. What the hell was going on now? Why was Sasuke kissing him? This was wrong! He had to sort things out with Sakura-

Naruto stiffened as he felt the taller boy's arms wrap around his torso, pulling him closer into a tight embrace. He could feel the steady beat of the Uchiha's heart, throbbing steadily and almost lazily compared to his own frantic pulse. It was wrong, he had to go –

But he was so warm… So coaxing… _So intoxicating…_

He didn't waver as a warm tongue prodded the opening in between his lips. He opened his mouth willingly and accepted the wet intrusion without a moment's hesitation, allowing the familiar yet strangely enticing taste of the raven-haired boy to once again fuel his raging senses…

Yes it was wrong, yes it was immoral…

But he smelled so good… So warm… So _safe_… So _Sasuke_ – with a extra spice of danger…

And never before had danger seemed so enticing… So alluring… So _tempting_…

The Uchiha kissed him tenderly, caressing his tongue ever so gently, as if he were fragile glass that could be effortlessly shattered with one wrong touch… Naruto found himself kissing back, as the voice inside his head scolding him and telling him to stop became fainter and fainter…

Involuntarily, his arms snaked around the dark-haired boy's neck, his fingers weaving themselves into the mass of dark hair, pushing the taller boy's head closer to his own, crushing their lips closer together… He felt almost desperate for more contact, to taste more, to delve deeper into the sweet confines of the other boy's mouth…

He had never felt so _needy_, so _reckless_…

The Uchiha kissed him back with equal passion, with equal vigour, as the blonde's heart threatened to burst out of his chest… Furious and conflicting emotions rushed through his mind, confusing him, overwhelming him… It was so wrong, yet so _right_ at the same time…

Fiery tongues battled it out for dominance, as frantic hands began to explore hot skin in desperation… Naruto clenched his hands tightly in the raven locks, forcing himself deeper into the Uchiha's moist mouth, tasting more, _needing_ more… His knuckles became almost white with tension, as if he were afraid to let go…

_As if afraid to lose him all over again… _

The Uchiha's hands raked harshly over the blonde's body, causing a few inadvertently emitted whimpers of pain. Yet the pain was welcome – it confirmed his existence, it confirmed the situation… That this wasn't yet another dream… Not just another obsessive hallucination…

Naruto was playing with fire…

…And never before had burn marks seemed so enticing…

------------------------------------

"What do you mean he's back?" Sakura whispered in horrification, as she felt her entire world crumble and collapse for the nth time that week. Itachi back? But he couldn't be! He just couldn't be! Not after all the violence… Not after all the blood… After all the cold and unforgiving blood…

_He was fucking dead damn it! _

"I… I can feel him…" Sasuke whispered, his voice hoarse with barely restrained emotion. "I can feel his presence…"

"Shut up Sasuke!" the pink haired girl shouted vehemently, a hint of hysteria coating her voice. "Listen to me! He's dead! You killed him! He's not coming back… Itachi _can't_ be back!" The words rushed hastily out of her mouth, and it was painfully obvious that they were stated for her own benefit…

And yet, even _then_ they didn't sound convincing, even to her own ears…

"But I can feel him-"

"You can't fucking _feel_ people damn it!" Sakura was on the verge of collapsing. Why was Sasuke saying all this? As if their engagement weren't laden with enough problems already, he now had to bring his psychotic brother back into the picture? Why couldn't he just let go? His brother was dead damn it! _Dead_!

And he wasn't ever coming back!

"Look…" desperation was apparent in the Uchiha's voice. "I can't explain it… But I know it's him… And I really need to go… Now!"

"You're not going anywhere!" Sakura yelled, tears springing into her eyes as she obstructed his path with her arms flung wide. He couldn't just leave! Not just like that! Not again! They had to talk damn it! Was this just another excuse to delay the inevitable? Did he really hate her _that_ much that he had to use his dead brother as a ploy to get away?

_Was he really that sick? _

"He's dead! _Dead_, Sasuke!" she sobbed, emphasising the word dead. "People don't come back from the dead! He's not back – and he's never coming back!"

Almost immediately, a small light of understanding seemed to glow in the raven-haired boy's eyes… Steady black eyes met green, as the Uchiha's body relaxed and ceased its violent trembling. Sakura bit down upon her lower lip – although Sasuke was still obviously rattled, there was also a small glimmer of hope in his dark pupils…

_Maybe he would finally see some sense… _

"Sakura…" Sasuke murmured, his voice grave and tense, contrasting harshly with the near hysterical atmosphere only a few moments before. His dark eyes captivated hers with such severe intensity that it made her skin prickle uncomfortably. "Listen to me… Remember that day you found me? After the final battle with Itachi…?"

Sakura managed to nod mutely. How could she _forget_? After seeing all that blood… After seeing Sasuke's pale and lifeless body sprawled awkwardly upon the ground… After seeing all the wounds, all the injuries… She thought that he had _died_…

The scene still haunted her, still plagued her nightmares to this very day…

"What did you do with the body?" his voice held a touch of desperation, his eyes pleading her to say the things that she knew he wanted to hear… Pleading her to tell him that she buried it, that she got rid of it...

Sakura felt her blood freeze. Her eyes fluttered wide open in pure terror, as her mind began to spin furiously… Body...? But... _But_...!

"There was no body…" she whispered weakly.

-------------------------------------

Naruto whimpered slightly in discomfort as the soft lips finally terminated their assault upon his mouth. His mind screamed for more contact – the rational part of his conscience had all but shut down, leaving only his hormonal urges to spur his rather passion-driven actions…

_And now his body demanded more… _

"Sasuke…" he whispered, the need and desire apparent in his voice. Nothing else seemed to matter anymore – not their precarious circumstance, not _even_ Sakura… As far as he was concerned, nothing else existed in the universe apart from the Uchiha's embrace, the Uchiha's scent, and the Uchiha's lips…

_The oh-so deadly lips… _

Sharingan eyes gazed at him carefully, with a barely concealed glint of amusement within them. But Naruto didn't care… He didn't even wonder why the boy had his sharingan activated to begin with – especially since it was obvious that there was no danger lurking nearby… His mind had gone way too far into the depths of lust to be thinking straight…

"Kiss me…" Naruto moaned, irritation gracing his hoarse voice. He tried to pull the raven-haired boy tighter into his arms, tried to crush their lips together into another intricate dance, but the dark-haired boy calmly pulled away with yet another amused smirk gracing his fair features…

"Why won't you kiss me?" Naruto pouted, as his arms went limp around the Uchiha's neck. His eyes were clouded and dazed, his mind still foggy with the mixed and conflicting emotions rushing through his body…

_Why was Sasuke being such a tease?! _

Almost immediately, the Uchiha's lips descended upon the sensitive nape of the blonde's neck. Naruto threw back his head in ecstasy as burning sensations wracked furiously through his body. His heart pounded frantically as soft lips caressed every curve and nibbled every inch of his skin…

_More… Want more… _

Naruto moaned loudly as a hot tongue was introduced into the lethal combination, sending his mind into a higher state of euphoria. Strong hands gripped messy hair, forcing the blonde's head further backwards to reveal more skin around the neck… He didn't even notice – didn't even register the pain - as the back of his head was slammed violently against the trunk of the tree… Repeatedly…

Pleasure dominated his senses, rendering him completely vulnerable and oblivious to everything around him…

He didn't even notice as his own blood began to trickle down the crook of his neck…

…Nor the malicious sneer flaring within the sharingan eyes…

---------------------------------

"There was no body Sasuke… You got rid of it… You got rid of it remember?" Sakura was hysterical, the confusion pouring out of her voice. She gazed at the Uchiha boy for assurance – for _any_ assurance - but all she saw was the same desperate gleam in his eyes…

Mixed with a look of utter hopelessness…

"You got rid of it Sasuke! There was – n-no body w-when I got t-there…" the pink haired girl hiccupped unsteadily, as extreme fear and recklessness surged through her system. Itachi couldn't be… He just couldn't! Sasuke _killed_ him!

_He was dead damn it! _

"I passed out immediately after the battle…" Sasuke whispered hoarsely. "I thought you-"

"There was nothing there!" Sakura yelled, interrupting him in frustration. "There was no one but you…" she trailed off in horrification as memories of that ruthless day flashed up into her mind… _So much blood… The presence of death… It was so strong…_

_'I thought you had died…' _

"So he _is_ alive…" Sasuke murmured, as a disbelieving look seemed to engulf his expression.

"No he isn't!" Sakura declared vehemently, her fists clenched tightly in a state of panic. "You killed him Sasuke! You said so yourself! You checked his pulse right?"

Tense silence descended upon the two.

"You checked his pulse, right?" Sakura screamed in impatience, as anger overwhelmed her fear. "He was dead! You confirmed that he was dead! Right? Right, Sasuke?"

The Uchiha nodded weakly.

"I checked his pulse… He was definitely dead…" the voice was soft and hesitant. "I'm… I'm _positive_ I checked it… He was _definitely_ dead! But… But what happened to the body?"

Flashing wild eyes met fearful green. "Dead people don't just disappear, Sakura… Maybe… Maybe I was wrong… Maybe he's alive-"

"He's not alive Sasuke!" Sakura yelled in desperation, although she wasn't sure who she was trying to convince anymore. "Just say… If… That's _if_ he were alive… He would've attacked us ages ago…! Why the hell would he show up now? What could he possibly achieve by attacking us now?"

Desperate green met black for confirmation. She was right, wasn't she? It couldn't be Itachi… It just couldn't…

But what she saw made her blood freeze…

Sasuke was as white as snow… Panic and terror completely dominated his features, making her speculate whether the stoic boy was _really_ standing in front of her… Where was the usually cool, calm and collected individual? Where was the person that was renowned for effortlessly mastering the art of concealing all emotion?

"Naruto…" the Uchiha whispered, in a barely audible and broken voice.

Blank, soulless eyes met hers, rendering her immobile and gasping for breath… An icy chill ran up her spine. Sakura blanched - she had never _ever_ seen him that frightened before… Not when he knew he had to face Itachi… Not _even_ when he was on the brink of death…

But Naruto…?

_What did Naruto have to do with anything?_

-----------------------------

The soft lips continued their furious assault upon the blonde's neck, rendering him utterly and completely breathless. His mind blanked into a perfect void – where nothing mattered apart from the Uchiha standing before him… He writhed uselessly under the strong body that towered over him, his limbs pinned effectively against the trunk of the tree…

"Sasuke…" he gasped, as another spasm of pleasure jolted through his already trembling body… He squirmed then tilted his head back, granting the taller boy even more access to his highly sensitive skin…

"You're so sexy, you know that?" the Uchiha murmured softly, his hot breath brushing against the nape of the blonde's neck. Blue eyes fluttered in ecstasy as the rumbling throat sent tantalising shivers down his trembling spine… "You're all mine… My little kitsune…"

_"My beautiful Kyuubi…" _

A sense of confusion briefly flitted across Naruto's features. Sasuke had never called him Kyuubi before… And what did he mean by 'mine?' And why did he sound so weird when he said -

A slight stinging sensation threw the blonde straight back into the wild throes of passion, his earlier suspicion immediately forgotten. The raven-haired boy had pierced skin with his teeth, causing a shallow wound just above the blonde's right shoulder blade. He then began to suck violently upon the gash, lapping the trickling blood away with an expression of rapture…

"You taste _so_ good, my little Kyuubi…"

Naruto managed to frown slightly, even over the smouldering haze of lust that was efficiently clouding his mind. He did it again… Sasuke called him Kyuubi again… Was that a new nickname or something?

And there was something about his voice… It sounded strange-

A sharp stab of pain immediately brought the blonde out of his thoughts, as a small whimper escaped his lips. The Uchiha had bitten him again, this time puncturing his skin a little deeper, causing blood to spill a steady stream of crimson.

Almost immediately, the gentle lips and hot tongue began to massage the wound, dulling the pain away to a slight throb. Naruto found himself moaning again, as pleasure once again overwhelmed his senses…

Uncertainty never entered his mind again…

---------------------------------------------------

"I've got to help Naruto!" Sasuke's eyes widened in complete terror as he realised the grave severity of the situation… Itachi… Itachi was back… All this time he had been alive, and none of them were any wiser… He was back…

And he was after Naruto!

"Naruto?" Sakura rubbed her eyes in confusion, her voice on the edge of hysteria. "What's Naruto got to do with anything?"

"Itachi's after Naruto!"

"What do you mean-"

"I've got to go Sakura…!" Sasuke interrupted, pushing past the shocked and temporarily immobile pink-haired girl. "If I don't go now, I'll never forgive myself…"

"No!" Sakura screamed, as she finally regained control over her body. She threw herself at the departing boy, clinging desperately to his arms. "You're not leaving…!" She sobbed frantically, her chest heaving in furious attempts to obtain more oxygen. "If… If what you say is true… If Itachi's really alive… Then you stay away from him! He'll kill you Sasuke! He'll kill you!"

Her words seemed to work. Sasuke froze. Then he spun around and glared coldly at his fiancée.

"If I don't go, Naruto will definitely _die_…"

"So what?" Sakura screamed, her eyes wild and sparkling with unshed tears. "I don't care Sasuke! I don't care if he dies! I know I'm selfish, but I'd rather he die than you! Don't you understand? I love you Sasuke! You can't leave me again!"

Sasuke glared at the floor as anger began to overwhelm him. How dare she? How dare she try to stop him from saving the one person – the _only_ person that he had ever grown to love? She had no right to decide whose life was more important…

She had no right to sentence the blonde to an imminent death!

"Are you listening to yourself?" he shouted in frustration, as impatience and anxiety gnawed at him painfully. He had to leave now! He had to find Naruto before Itachi did…! Who knew what that psycho would do…! He winced as memories of his last conversation with his brother flooded his mind…

_/ __"What about rape, Sasuke? Think that'll break him?" Itachi smirked maliciously. "What if I raped him, pretending to be you? That would crack him wouldn't it? His best friend… His teammate… Making him scream, making him bleed… Violating him in such a shameful way…" _

_"It's not hard to be you Sasuke…" he whispered, with a malevolent glint in his sharingan eyes. "After all… We are brothers… And appearances can change a lot over 4 years… It'll be easy to fool him, don't you think?" _

_"And who knows – maybe I'll get some fun out of it as well… He seems like a good fuck, don't you think?" he laughed dryly, before shaking his head in amusement. "And who said that you couldn't mix business with pleasure?" / _

Sasuke clenched his fists tightly to clear his thoughts, then growled possessively – if he even _dared_ to touch him…

"I'm asking you Sasuke! You'll die if you leave! Don't go – just don't go!" Sakura cried, interrupting his wandering thoughts, as she clutched the Uchiha's arm in an almost painful death grip.

"I can't leave him…" he croaked, as he attempted to shrug her off.

"Why not?" she became hysterical. "I've given you everything Sasuke! Everything! And I've never asked for anything in return! And now all I ask is for you to grant me this one thing… Just one thing Sasuke… Can't you even give me that?"

The raven-haired boy hesitated, as he felt severe guilt surge through his body. It was true – she had been nothing but supportive throughout the whole Itachi ordeal… She had been there, by his side - tending, worrying, caring… She had given up everything just to be with him… She had even stayed when he told her to leave…

He knew he had been a bastard to her… He had treated her like crap since the day they met… He had never considered how his cold actions would've affected her feelings… Never considered how she felt when he disappeared for a few days… He never opened up, never told her how he felt… Never held her tight… Never even _thought_ about her…

_It wasn't her fault that he didn't love her… _

_It wasn't her fault that he _couldn't_ love her… _

_And it definitely wasn't her fault that he loved someone else… _

"I'm sorry…" he whispered, his words full of sincere regret, and his eyes full of raw emotion… But he knew that he couldn't stay – no matter how much he owed her, no matter how much he was indebted to her… He couldn't leave Naruto… He just couldn't leave him! Not after everything they had been through… Not after the hellish journey he had travelled _just_ to realise his own feelings for the hyperactive blonde… Not after he realised that he loved him…

He couldn't leave him. Even though his feelings weren't reciprocated, he still couldn't leave him…

_He would never leave him… _

"I don't understand!" Sakura yelled, tears streaming profusely from her eyes as she sobbed her heart out. "You're going to die! If you confront him, you're going to die! Don't you understand?"

"I can beat him-"

"No you can't!" she sobbed in desperation. "You couldn't beat him the first 3 times Sasuke! What makes you think that you can do it now? You're not as strong as you were the third time you faced him – you have a hangover, you haven't trained… You're definitely not prepared!"

The Uchiha clenched his fists in frustration. "So what am I supposed to do?" he bellowed, anger replacing all his earlier guilt. "You want me to sit and wait while he kills Naruto? While _my brother_ kills _another_ one of my important people?" he hesitated as he tried to restrain his irrepressible rage. "Don't you care about him at all? How the hell could you be so fucking hostile? He was our teammate – he was… He IS our friend!"

"But there's nothing you can do!" Sakura argued back, tears streaming down her pink cheeks flushed with anger. "You can't do anything Sasuke! If you go, you'll die! Please, listen to me Sasuke!" she groped his arm desperately. "Listen to me! We can go somewhere else… Where your brother can't find us! Then you can train again, get stronger, _then_ beat him! That's the most sensible thing you can do right now!"

Sasuke roughly shrugged her hands off him, his cold sharingan eyes flashing briefly. Sensible? When were they _ever_ sensible? "What happened to you Sakura?" he muttered dangerously, his voice bitterly cold and edging rage. "How could you even _suggest_ abandoning him? You know he would _never_ ever give up on you! No matter how dire the circumstance, he would've always at least _try_ to save you! So this is how you repay him?"

The raven-haired boy was furious. This wasn't the Sakura that he knew… When did she become such a cold hearted bitch?! How could she even _think _about deserting the blonde? Especially when he needed them the most! Did she really hate him? Just because he didn't inform her of his forbidden affair... Just because he was trying to protect her…

_Could she really hate him that much? _

"But I love you Sasuke!" she cried, as she collapsed, sobbing furiously upon the floor. "Don't you understand? Everything I've ever done is for you… I love you so much…" her voice trailed off into a whisper. "I'm sorry for being selfish, but I can't… I can't let you leave me… Not again…"

The raven-haired boy clenched his fists as conflicting emotions overwhelmed his senses…

"Please don't go… Please don't make me live without you…"

"I'm sorry…" he whispered, before striding purposely towards the front door.

_'I'm sorry Sakura... I'm sorry for everything… I'm sorry for leading you on… I'm sorry for using you as a purpose to stay living… And most of all, I'm sorry for being unable to love you…' _

"So that's it?" the pink-haired girl murmured softly, tears still steaming down in small silver rivulets as she sat stiffly upon the wooden floor. "You're going to leave now… Just like that, you're going to walk freely into your own death…" she paused to stubbornly swipe the liquid burning her strained eyes. "But why Sasuke? For what reason?"

"Why are you so eager to die?"

Sasuke smiled softly, as he pushed open the front door. An image of a blonde angel flashed up into his mind. The truth could be so simple sometimes… And love could be so uncomplicated…

"Because I love him."

And then he was gone.

--------------------------------------------

Itachi grinned evilly to himself as he continued his harsh ministrations upon the Naruto's neck. This was _definitely_ worth the delay… All that waiting to choose the perfect moment had finally paid off… And what moment could be more perfect than this?

He grabbed a fistful of blonde hair and jerked it harshly, causing a small cry to escape the boy's lips. He sneered maliciously – at this rate, he wouldn't have to do much to break the boy… He had never seen anyone look so lost before… So empty, so soulless…

_So dead… _

He pulled away from the blonde's neck, and ran his tongue over the huge and painful looking red welts with glee. It was deeply satisfying to know that he had been the one to tarnish him, to touch him, to spoil his otherwise flawless skin… To mark him, to _own_ him… He tasted so sweet… His blood intoxicating, _addictive_…

He was perfect – the _Kyuubi_ was perfect…

The dark-haired man smirked inwardly. No wonder Sasuke cared for him so much… Sure, it had been a shock when he had caught them kissing the night before, but somehow he doubted that the influence of alcohol could single-handedly be held responsible for their actions… It had been a little _too_ passionate for a simple drunken mistake… A little _too_ full of fervour…

He grinned. Who'd have guessed that his little brother was a fag?

"You're so beautiful…" he whispered against the blonde's sensitive skin, and was awarded a small whimper for his contributed remark. And he wasn't lying – Naruto _was_ beautiful… His golden skin and his wild mass of unruly blonde hair was truly a sight to behold… His body was lean and powerful, and yet his skin was surprisingly soft…

He was _so_ innocent… _Too_ innocent for the destructive powers that accompanied the wrath of the Kyuubi… _So_ unlike what he had ever expected…

_And yet he was so perfect… _

Itachi purred contentedly as he buried his face within Naruto's neck, deeply inhaling the sensual scent of the other boy. He smelled faintly of his delicious blood… He licked his lips hungrily. It was a shame really… If only the boy didn't hold the power to the infamous demon fox, then maybe things wouldn't have had to turn out this way…

Things could've been _soo_ good…

The Uchiha shrugged inwardly to clear his thoughts. No point thinking about such frivolous things… He growled and once again attacked the delicate skin upon the blonde's neck, creating an even deeper wound than the one before… He lapped up the sweet crimson blood eagerly as another deep moan erupted from Naruto's throat…

He smirked inwardly. Who would've known that the kitsune was so… So _responsive_? Acting on impulse, the raven-haired man grabbed the blonde and crushed their lips together in a furiously demanding kiss. His hot tongue pried open Naruto's mouth and roughly attacked his tongue, causing the other boy to visibly tremble. He pushed the smaller boy harder against the trunk of the tree, as his hands roamed lower and lower…

Excitement surged through his body, urging his actions on. The Kyuubi was so close to being his, he could almost feel it… He could almost _taste_ it… Just a little longer – just a _little_ while longer – and everything would be his… And he would finally possess the ultimate power that he craved…

This was turning out to be a lot more fun that he had anticipated…

And definitely a hell of a lot more pleasurable...

-----------------------------------------

"_Shikamaru_!" Ino complained, as she half dragged the unwilling boy behind her. "Come on already! You're so damn slow, you know that?"

The dark pony-tailed man merely shrugged and reluctantly let himself be towed along. He sighed – he really did NOT want to see the Uchiha's… Not now, and probably not ever… Well… Sakura he was ok with… But Sasuke…? Damn, just _thinking_ about the cold glare that was directed at him at the engagement party was enough to make him shiver all over again…

Damn Naruto. This was all his fault.

He was so troublesome.

"Shikamaruuu!" Ino whined in frustration, as she stomped her feet upon the ground angrily. "You've been up for over 2 hours already – and we're really behind schedule… Can't you at least be a little more co-operative?"

The lazy ninja grunted.

"Shikamaru!" the blonde haired girl warned with a dangerous tone of voice.

The dark-haired man rolled his eyes and grudgingly complied, although he did begin to stomp on the ground a little more forcefully than required. He sighed - why did everything have to be so troublesome?

To be more precise – why did women have to be so damn troublesome?

-------------------------------------------

Hinata smiled happily as she walked away from Kiba's apartment. She couldn't believe her luck – she had just arrived in time to witness the birth of _another_ new litter of puppies to add to their ever-growing family! Four completely healthy looking pups were born – 2 male and 2 female. And they had just been _so_ adorable!

Hinata stifled a chuckle as she recalled the ecstatic expression crossing Kiba's face upon discovering the news. His adoration for dogs could become quite amusing at times… But bless his heart - she had always liked his company… His incessant chattering and inability to tolerate silence kinda reminded her of a certain blonde haired and blue eyed boy…

Glancing down at the invitations still in her possession, her cheerful mood immediately faltered. She _still_ had to face the Uchiha's… She bit down hard upon her lower lip in trepidation – she just hoped that Sasuke wasn't in another one of his _weird_ moods again…

Suddenly, a blurred outline rushed by, causing a gust of wind to brush sharply against the dark-haired girl… Before confusion could even begin to set in, the figure stopped abruptly in front of the dazed Hyuuga, emitting a raspy sliding sound as feet met bare ground…

Startled eyes glanced up…

_Sasuke?! Uchiha Sasuke?! What_ _the hell was he doing here?! _

"Hinata, I need your help!" the Uchiha's voice trembled with nervousness and desperation. Hinata continued to stare in shock, as another part of her silently wallowed in her bad luck. She sighed inwardly - why Sasuke?! Why did it have to be the one person she was trying to avoid?! Out of everyone in the whole damn village – why did it just _have_ to be him…?!

"Hinata? Are you listening?" the raven-haired boy was frantic – an expression that she normally wouldn't even have _dared_ to associate with the impassive boy. Her mind rapidly snapped back into place.

"What's wrong?" she asked anxiously, as a deep feeling of apprehension set in. If something managed to unsettle and faze the usually unruffled boy so much, then it _must_ be something serious…

Her stomach clenched uncomfortably – did something happen to Sakura?

"I need your Byakugan!" Sasuke was almost hysterical, his eyes wild with reckless abandonment. It would've proved a very effective method in scaring the smaller girl – that is – if she hadn't been scared shitless already…

Hinata scrunched up her face in confusion, then opened her mouth –

"No time to explain! Please just trust me!" the Uchiha interrupted rashly, his voice becoming hoarser by the second. "It's Naruto – I need your help in finding him!"

At the sound of the name Naruto, Hinata immediately perked up. Naruto? Why was Sasuke looking for Naruto?

"What's going on?" the dark haired girl whispered, her eyes widening in horror. Was Naruto in trouble? Was he in some kind of danger? Is that why Sasuke's looking so frightened?

"Hinata, no time, I-"

"No you shut up Sasuke!" Hinata snapped, anger, worry and trepidation overwhelming her commonsense. She didn't care that she was rudely cutting off the notoriously feared Uchiha Sasuke – one thing she wouldn't have even _considered_ doing if she had been in the right state of mind. All that mattered was Naruto! And if Naruto was in danger, then she bloody well wanted to know about it damn it!

"Tell me! Why are you looking for Naruto? Is he in some kinda danger?" her words were rushed but steady, concealing the raging anxiety deep inside. Her confidence rose as her fear for the blonde's wellbeing increased… So deep was her apprehension that she didn't even _ realise_ that she had ceased to stutter…

"If you don't help me now, he could very well die!" Sasuke roared, as the hopelessness seeped into his unusually bright eyes.

Hinata gasped audibly. Naruto die…? No… No…! NO!! That _can't_ be true! What the hell was Sasuke on about?! Not Naruto! He _couldn't_ die! He's too full of energy – too full of life…

_Naruto couldn't die!! _

"Please…" Sasuke choked painfully as emotion welled up in his throat. Hinata was already too shocked to gasp as glittering tears began to form at the corners of his dark eyes. "I need to help him… I… I can't leave him… I can't leave him again…"

He clenched his fists in pure desperation.

The dark haired girl's mind suddenly cleared. She still didn't know what the hell was going on, but as long as it helped Naruto… That's all that mattered right? She would do anything to help – anything to ensue that the Uchiha's predictions of his death would _never_ come true…

And now her help was required. Nodding assertively, she activated her Byakugan and scanned the surrounding vicinity. Almost immediately, the chakra patterns of thousands of people that inhabited Konoha village assaulted her. But fortunately for her, due to the steady decrease in ninja professionalism over the years, many of the visible chakra patterns were actually quite faint.

But she knew what she was looking for – instead of the light blue colour of normal chakra, Naruto had his own unique shade – a deep hue of purple. This was partly due to the demon fox that resided in his body shortly after birth. Although the Kyuubi's chakra was originally a sharp red, over the years, the two individuals had somewhat merged, producing another unique trait for boy and demon united.

It was still a mystery – just _how_ did the two spirits manage to bond so well?

"I see him…" Hinata murmured softly, as she finally caught sight of a faint purple pulse. She focussed upon it, as her heart pounded furiously. "But… His signal is weak…"

"Kuso…"

Her eyebrows furrowed as she concentrated harder. "There are others with him… I can't be sure… But I think it's more than one…" she paused to catch an unsteady breath. "It… It _has_ to be more than one… Too much… There's too much chakra for one person…"

"Where?!" Sasuke demanded, his eyes blazing with impatience. "Where is he?!"

Hinata pointed towards a north-east direction as she felt her heart drop into her stomach. "Near the outskirts of the village…" she bit her lip as waves of fear and trepidation assaulted her head on. God, she hoped that Naruto was alright! Whoever the people were, if they even _dared_ to hurt him, she would never forgive them!

Almost immediately, the Uchiha took off in a furious sprint into the direction that she had indicated. She watched in silent amazement – she had never seen him look so determined yet desperate at the same time… Did he even know where to go? And all that she had given him was a vague direction – was that all he needed?

Was he really incredibly gifted or just plain stupid?

"Stay! Don't follow – look after Sakura!" was all she heard, as his lithe figure disappeared rapidly into the distance.

Hinata sighed, wondering whether she ought to trail the dark haired boy or to abide by his instructions. He would need her help later on, right? He may have a strong sense of direction, but that didn't guarantee anything… He'd be bound to get lost on the way!

And those people – those people around Naruto – either they were very strong, or there were a lot of them… And neither scenario was exactly promising or hopeful…! Yes Sasuke was strong, but it would be impossible for him to take them all on alone…

Hinata shivered in fear. Never before had she observed such a _strong_ chakra reading…

But what about Sakura? Maybe she was hurt! Maybe she was in danger as well…! Why else would Sasuke tell her to go 'look after her'?

Making up her mind, the dark haired girl decided to check up on the pink haired girl before following the Uchiha in his frantic pursuit. Maybe she could find some back up while she was at it… After all, judging by the amount of chakra detected near the blonde, there must be a lot of people present…

A lot of _strong_ people present…

She grimaced slightly but quickly replaced the look of defeat with a bitter look of defiance. "Hold on Naruto…" she whispered, with determination gleaming in her eyes. She'd help him – she'd help him if it were the last thing she did…

And she'll be damned if anything happened to the one she loved…!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

End chapter 18

La la la... I hope this chapter cleared things up... Oh there are only 2 chapters left by the way...

P.s. If there are any plot holes, they WILL be resolved!! I hate plot holes so don't worry!!!

Sorry if Itachi seems OOC... When I wrote this, he hadn't made an appearance in the anime, and I haven't read the manga... And now I'm just too lazy to go back and change him... Gomen ne!!

And finally - if you would like to join the mailing list, please leave me a review with your email addy in it, or mail me !

Please review and thanks for reading! Ja ne!


	19. How good it feels seeing you today

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto. cries  
**Title**: I think I better leave right now - chapter 19**  
Author**: Purrfectly679 - e-mail for comments and suggestions. Feedback highly appreciated.  
**Rating**: R, angst, lime, boy on boy action, graphic - be warned. SasuNaru, ItaNaru...  
**Notes**: No spoilers. This is a revised repost. Some of the more 'graphic' content has been cut out - please check my profile for the unedited version.

**Previously**: Itachi is back - and he's after Naruto!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Itachi licked his lips in desire as he raked his eyes feverishly over the blonde standing before him. Blue orbs stared up at him in confusion, silently screaming '_Why did you stop?!_' The older Uchiha smirked – who would've thought that such innocent blue eyes could possibly be clouded with such intense passion...? It's no wonder that Sasuke felt so deeply for him… He was a wet dream come to life - innocence mixed with raw lust and feistiness…

Such a _deadly_ combination…

Still pinning the shorter boy against the tree trunk, the raven-haired man once again lowered his mouth upon the blonde's neck. His strong legs efficiently trapped Naruto's lower body securely against the tree, as his arms reached up and began to tug at the blonde's shirt. He felt his pulse increase rapidly as his blood pounded furiously around his body… Just a little longer… Just a little while longer…

_And everything will be his… _

With a flick of his wrist, Itachi ripped the shirt violently off the boy's torso, and gazed hungrily at the expanse of bare skin laid out before him. Naruto's skin glowed with a healthy flush, and apart from the red bite marks upon his neck, his skin was practically flawless… No scars, no blemishes…

_Was that the power of the Kyuubi? _

Trailing his sharingan eyes slowly downwards, he found himself drinking in the very essence of the blonde with passionate fervour. He swallowed a heavy gasp in his throat as his eyes scanned the taut and smooth stomach of the kitsune. And there it was – the barely visible seal of the demon fox… The swirled patterns woven intricately around the bare navel…

And to think - this one mere seal was all that stood between him and the power of ultimate destruction…

Forcing himself to gaze into the smaller boy's face, he saw that his rough method of clothing removal had seemed to turn the blonde on even more. His blue eyes were clenched shut, his mouth dropped open to form a perfect 'o' shape, and his chest heaved up and down rapidly in succession. The dark-haired man felt his excitement increase swiftly with each gasped breath – the Kyuubi was _so_ close to the surface…

_Everything was so close to being perfect… _

[[cut scene - check profile for unedited version - if you are uncomfortable with reading sexual torture, then please avoid - it doesn't affect the story much]]

-----------------------------------------------

Sasuke ran on, oblivious to his surroundings. Everything was rushing by, blurred, indistinct... His mind was completely focussed upon the direction that Hinata had pointed out to him – he _had_ to get there in time…

He _will_ get there in time!

The wind smacked furiously against his skin as he travelled – as he leaped furiously from tree to tree. But the stinging sensations didn't even register in his mind – all he knew was that he had to get there soon…

Get there soon or regret it for the rest of his life…

He clenched his fists tightly together as he felt the dull throb of his headache start up again. It seemed as if his body hadn't fully recovered from the alcohol abuse he had endured the night before – and now the strain and exertion caused by his reckless actions only proved to make it worse…

But it didn't matter – _nothing_ mattered apart from Naruto…

Forcing back a grimace, the raven-haired boy urged himself to sprint even faster – pushing his weary muscles to the very limit. His entire body scorched with burning fire, as his limbs struggled unsuccessfully to slow down…

He had never run so fast in his life - and yet he still pushed on…

He had to save Naruto. He _will_ save Naruto.

---------------------------------------------

[[cut scene]]

-----------------------------------------

Sasuke ran on, oblivious to the fire scorching through his lungs, as he hopped frantically from branch to branch. His body desperately screamed at him to stop – or at the very least slow down - but the furious pleas were left unanswered and completely ignored. The Uchiha continued to run like a madman – his mind totally set upon reaching the one person that held his heart…

_And the one person that held his soul… _

He didn't think about the consequences – he didn't consider his rapidly dwindling state of health, nor did he pay heed to the throbbing hangover that was once again threatening to consume him… He totally disregarded the fact that he had completely overexerted his body, nor did he care that in his current condition, he was absolutely no match for his older brother…

Nothing mattered – as long as Naruto was ok…

Sasuke grimaced as harsh winds whipped his ebony hair wildly about, revealing his intense eyes that darkened with an aura of determination. He had to get there soon – otherwise Itachi… _Itachi will… _

_"What if I raped him, pretending to be you? That would crack him wouldn't it? His best friend… His teammate… Making him scream, making him bleed… Violating him in such a shameful way…" _

Sasuke swallowed heavily in trepidation before redirecting his thoughts elsewhere. He couldn't risk getting distracted by useless thoughts – he couldn't risk getting angry. Not _now_ – not when Naruto's life was on the line… He _had_ to focus…

He had to save Naruto.

_"I don't love you Sasuke, I've never loved you, and I will never love you. Don't you understand?" _

The Uchiha's expression contorted ever so slightly with pain. Why was he thinking of such things? So what if Naruto didn't love him? Just because the object of his affections didn't reciprocate his feelings, that didn't mean that he couldn't love him from afar… He didn't even care that his love was unrequited – the fact that he had actually _experienced_ love was enough of a privilege. After all, love was love, and that's all that mattered… Wasn't it?

Love could be so simple sometimes.

But he knew that Naruto loved Hinata… After all those heartfelt confessions and that one stolen kiss, the fact that the blonde's heart belonged to someone else was becoming more and more obvious. It was in his eyes – the love, the hopelessness…

The regret.

Sasuke sighed bitterly, head lowered as he kept running. As long as the blonde was happy, then he could be happy for him… Just as long as he kept smiling…

Just as long as he was safe…

The raven-haired boy grimaced, before clenching his fists defiantly in determination. He'd find Naruto and bring him back, even if it killed him in the process. Losing him to Hinata would be the very last time that it would _ever_ happen – he _won't_ lose him again…

He'd _never_ lose him again…

-----------------------------------------

Itachi smirked as he ran a slick tongue over Naruto's trembling collarbone, watching in amusement as the blonde's face contorted with agonizing distress. There was just something so fascinating about the bitterness of pain – the feeling was avoided like the plague, and yet it was the only raw emotion powerful enough to truly awaken one's senses…

It was the only sensation powerful enough to confirm one's existence…

"Sasuke… It hurts…" Naruto whimpered pitifully, and the older Uchiha had to fight down an expression of utter glee as he noticed teardrops forming in the blonde's eyes. He could feel the boy's confusion flowing off him in rivulets, most probably wondering why his beloved 'Sasuke' would intentionally hurt him so much…

[[cut scene]]

Itachi smirked maliciously.

First checkmate… Now game over.

----------------------------------

[[cut scene]]

"My Kyuubi…" the Uchiha whispered, as he buried his sharp teeth once again into the blonde's neck. Naruto clenched his eyes shut in pain, trying his best not to flinch.

He could vaguely feel a tongue lapping up the blood that was inevitably flowing from his new bite wound, but the earlier fiery sensations were now replaced by a cold feeling of dread. Sasuke had really hurt him… And whether the Uchiha had meant to or not, this still had to be one of the most painful experiences the blonde had ever suffered in his life…

He clenched his eyes shut as tears began to form in the corner of his eyes. He shouldn't cry – he _wouldn't_ cry! Not in front of Sasuke… Not in front of anybody! He wasn't a child any more – and no matter how much it hurt, he couldn't reveal his weakness! He couldn't reveal his vulnerability…!

He couldn't _afford_ to break down…

"W-What are you do-doing?" the blonde panicked, as he twisted his aching body around to restrain the older man's actions.

Itachi glared at him, his sharingan eyes ablaze with raw anger and lust. "I'm taking what's mine!"

"S-Stop!" Naruto stuttered in desperation, eyes wide and disbelieving, as rough hands began to roam over his inner thighs.

"Stop?" the Uchiha sneered, sending an icy chill down the smaller boy's spine. "Why should I stop? You've had your fun, and now it's my turn!"

Blue eyes widened in shock as the realisation of the situation finally sunk in. Naruto blanched. Sasuke… was going to take him?

"It h-hurts…!" Naruto protested, as callous hands reached the waistband of his pants. He started to resist and push the taller man away, but his efforts were rendered completely futile…

A sudden slap brought Naruto out of his fruitless struggles. Blue eyes widened in shock, before the sharp sting of the attack assaulted his senses. He stared at the raven-haired man in bewilderment. What the hell…? Did Sasuke…?

Did Sasuke just _hit_ him?

"Ungrateful whore!" the Uchiha hissed, as he roughly crushed the smaller boy against him in a vicious embrace. What the hell was going on? Why was Sasuke-

"Ugh…"

The blonde collapsed onto the ground holding his stomach in pain. His chest heaved frantically as he gasped desperately for more air. He felt his eyes water as his pounding head swam around in furious circles.

Sasuke had… Why did Sasuke…?

Another kick to the midsection had the blonde violently coughing up blood, the metallic taste making the smaller boy nauseous. When did Sasuke get so strong…? And why was he…

A pair of taunting Sharingan eyes abruptly met blue, before Naruto even realised that the Uchiha had knelt down to face him at eye level. The blonde shivered visibly as a sticky finger gently traced the outer curve of his cheekbone, staining his smooth skin with a trail of bright red blood. He hitched back an unsteady breath, as his eyes dropped wide open in mute fear and disbelief.

Sasuke was… Sasuke had…

"It would be in your best interest to do as I say…" the words were murmured softly, but the expression gracing the Uchiha's fair features was anything but gentle. Naruto felt his stomach clench uncomfortably as he gazed back into the red eyes… The intense red eyes that overflowed with a strange mixture of loathe desire and severe disgust…

Confusion overwhelmed the smaller by, drowning him in furious chaotic turmoil. This wasn't like Sasuke… This wasn't the same person that had confessed to him, that had _kissed_ him so passionately the night before… This wasn't the same man that had held on to him in desperation, as if he never wanted to let go…

This wasn't the man that he loved…

He was too rough – too violent… Too brutal…

And those eyes… Those crimson sharingan eyes… _So_ cold – filled with immense greed and insatiable desire… So much hate… So much envy…

They weren't the eyes that had promised him eternity… They weren't eyes that proclaimed undying love… They weren't the eyes that he had dreamt about every night for 5 years…

They weren't Sasuke's eyes…

_Sasuke would never hurt him… _

Naruto visibly tensed as the truth smacked him head on. His eyes widened momentarily, as his heart began to rapidly pick up pace. It finally made sense – this wasn't… _He_ wasn't Sasuke…

_He couldn't be Sasuke… _

But that means…

_Oh god… _

He immediately began to struggle, desperately trying to get the taller man off him… He wasn't Sasuke! He couldn't…

_He wouldn't let him…! _

"What's the matter, my little Kyuubi?" Itachi smirked, red eyes gleaming with amusement, as he pinned down the thrashing boy with seemingly little difficulty.

"You're not Sasuke…!" Naruto yelled, squirming ineffectively under the lean body draped over his, as his mind began to retreat into a state of panic. This wasn't Sasuke…! And this person – whoever the hell he was - he was about to rape him…! Add that to the fact that he just _happened_ to be in the middle of nowhere, and that no one actually _knew_ that he was here…

God, this was his own stupid fault! Just what had possessed him to walk for 8 hours straight, without even thinking of a destination?

And why the fuck was this person so damn strong?

The dark-haired man frowned, as if contemplating the blonde's previous outburst. "And what makes you think I'm not Sasuke?"

But before Naruto could give his answer, a sudden snapping of twigs could be heard, immediately diverting the attention of the older man. Sharingan eyes narrowed and darted sharply around, until they rested upon an upper branch of a nearby tree.

And standing in place was one livid Uchiha Sasuke.

"Because I'm right here."

---------------------------------------------

Sasuke felt furious anger course violently through his veins, as his mind grasped the finer details of the sick scene displayed before him. There was no doubt about it - Itachi the bastard _was_ alive…! That just _couldn't_ be anyone else! _And_ he was all over _his_ Naruto…

Glancing at the traces of blood nearby, cold fear suddenly gripped him from within. Was he too late? Did Itachi already accomplish what he had intended to do? Did he…

Did he rape Naruto?

"So… My little brother has come back to play…"

Sasuke immediately snapped back to reality at the hateful tone of his brother's voice. He growled, before jumping off the branch to meet his brother face to face. He knew he should've been scared – after all, he _was_ facing the man who had nearly killed him 3 times in the past – and yet somehow the feelings of fear and trepidation had seemed to vanish within his burning rage…

"Get off him!" the younger Uchiha growled, the flames of anger dangerously close to erupting at the surface. His clenched his fists menacingly at his sides – how dare that fucking bastard touch Naruto! How dare he touch what did not belong to him!

"Well, well _Sasuke_-_kun_… That's not a very nice way to greet your aniki is it…"

"Shut up!" Sasuke spat vehemently, his eyes flashing red. "I said get the fuck off him!"

"Get the fuck _off_ him? Actually, personally… I'd rather fuck him…"

Sasuke visibly flinched, before furiously advancing upon his brother. "You dare touch him-"

Itachi smirked, before slowly removing his body from atop of the trembling blonde. He stood up coolly and met his smaller brother face to face. "And what, _Sasuke-kun_?" he mocked, his voice dripping malicious venom. "I've already touched him, and he wasn't exactly complaining…"

"In fact, I think he rather enjoyed it…"

"You fucking bastard…" the younger Uchiha growled dangerously, forcing himself to keep his raging anger under control. It was probably best if he didn't try to take his brother head on – especially since he was at an obvious disadvantage in terms of skill and dwindling state of mind… He just prayed that Hinata, and whatever backup she was bringing, would get here soon…

He spared a small glance to the blonde sprawled hazardously upon the floor as sudden cold fear gripped at his heart – was Naruto ok? Was he hurt? He was still breathing, right? So he had to be ok! But why was he bleeding so much? And his skin – his gorgeously smooth skin – now broken and bruised…

Just what the fuck did Itachi do to him?

"Tut tut, _Sasuke-kun_…" the older Uchiha scolded, wagging an admonishing finger for emphasis. "Go and wash your mouth out with soap! What would mother say if she heard such _filthy_ language coming from your mouth?"

Sasuke glared in irritation, although he knew that the more distractions the better. It just meant more time for Hinata to arrive… "What do you care? You fucking killed her!"

"I always care for my little brother-"

"Bullshit! Now tell me what the fuck you're doing here!"

Tense silence descended upon the two Uchiha's – one glaring in furious anger while the other just stood looking indifferent and mildly bored.

"Just what the hell do you want?" Sasuke repeated with a scowl, trying his best to buy more precious time. The fact that Itachi was looking so uninterested was really starting to irk him… Acting like this confrontation meant _nothing_ to him… Was he _really_ that confident of his own strength?

Or was he just no longer considered a valid threat by his older brother?

"You know what I want…" Itachi murmured softly, as his crimson eyes glinted with dangerous possessiveness. Sasuke shivered in trepidation, as his insides froze over from the iciness of the sharingan glare. The frightening thing was that he _did_ know what the older Uchiha wanted… The bastard wanted Naruto…

But there was no way that he'd give him up that easily!

"Leave him out of it!" Sasuke retorted angrily, his fists flaying violently by his sides. "This is between you and me!" All thoughts of buying important time were instantly erased from his memory, as the subject of his loved one was finally brought up.

Itachi didn't have the right to touch Naruto!

"Getting jealous are we?" Itachi sneered, as he slowly advanced towards his younger brother. "Jealous that your little whore stole all your big brother's attention?"

"He's not a wh-!"

"This isn't about you… It has never been about you…!" the older Uchiha mocked, cutting off the furious protests. "To tell you the truth, _Sasuke-kun_…You were never really that important … You're too weak to be even considered a priority…"

Sasuke flinched, as the painful words cut through him like jagged shards of glass. It was true to a certain extent - throughout his entire life, he had always, in one way or another, strived desperately to attain his brother's attention and respect… All the training he had endured depended solely upon the motivation to beat his brother… And even now, he wanted to prove to the older Uchiha that he wasn't worthless – that he wasn't weak…

And yet Itachi refused to even acknowledge him…?

The dark-haired man halted 2 steps away from the seething boy.

"Go home Sasuke," he murmured softly, his eyes cold and unforgiving. "You're not worth my time… Nor are you any longer worthy of the title of an avenger…"

Itachi smirked cruelly before continuing his verbal assault.

"After all – what use is there of an avenger who can't even eliminate his target properly?"

"I killed you, you fucking bastard!" Sasuke screamed in fury, his hair whipping viciously against his face. His futile efforts to keep his anger suppressed were lost effortlessly into the wild haze of furious flames. "I checked your pulse! Your fucking heart stopped! You DIED damn it!"

The older Uchiha merely smirked. "My, my Sasuke-kun… And I thought you were better than that…" Itachi paused thoughtfully, before speaking in a dangerously cold tone of voice. "So let me give you a small piece of advice, _little brother_ – Don't. Trust. Anything. Don't trust what you see, don't trust what you feel…"

Sasuke responded with an icy glare. Just what the hell was his stupid brother going on about now?

"And _never_ underestimate the power of a Uchiha's genjutsu."

Sasuke growled. The Uchihas' were well-renowned for their notorious genjutsu talents, especially when combined with the hypnotic powers of the sharingan eye… But still - it must've been powerful genjutsu for him to be unable to detect it!

At least now it all made sense… That's how Itachi survived! Everything – _everything_ had been fake…! The fighting, the killing – was it _all_ just plain deception? In fact, did he even _manage_ to hurt his brother? Or was that all an illusion too?

"And now, if you excuse me – I have a little blonde begging for a fuck…"

Sasuke's sharingan flared to life. He wouldn't let him _touch_ Naruto again!

The final battle had begun.

------------------------------------------------

Naruto curled up into a tight ball, oblivious to the explosive confrontation of the two brothers before him, as the world spun nauseously around in his head in dizzy circles. His body was still screaming from the violent attacks forced upon him, as well as the brutal assault that he had endured from the older man…

But at least Sasuke had finally come…

He hated being weak – he hated needing help… But Sasuke would save him… Sasuke would help him…

_Sasuke wouldn't leave him… _

So he _was_ right about that imitation man – it _wasn't_ Sasuke… He knew it! He knew it all along! Sasuke would never hurt him like that…! He would never be so cruel… Never be so sadistic…

The blonde continued to tremble, mildly aware of shouts and other loud noises raging nearby, but chose to ignore the harsh reality.

So who was that man? And why did he look so much like Sasuke…? And how did he get the sharingan…? It was a well-known fact that only the descendents of the Uchiha clan received the powerful bloodline limit of the crimson eyes… And since Sasuke was the last of his clan, it couldn't possibly be a Uch-…

Wait… But that man… He looked a little _too_ much like Sasuke… And the possession of the sharingan…

Naruto gasped. Could he be… Could he be Sasuke's brother?! As in the one that Sasuke sought revenge from…? As in the very reason that Sasuke had left all those years ago? But, but… Wasn't he supposed to be dead…? Sasuke killed him!! Killed him over a year ago… He was dead! Dead! DEAD!

But _if_ it was Itachi… Oh god… He had let the older man touch him… Violate him… And his body had reacted so excitedly – so _responsively_…

No one – no one but Sasuke had ever touched him like that… Touched him so deeply – so intimately…

But now… Now…

The blonde began to tremble violently as hot tears trailed down his cheeks. He knew that he should be glad that he hadn't been raped, but the fact that this man had taken advantage of him was too painful to even comprehend. He silently berated himself for being so damn stupid – the warning bells should've gone off immediately at the first signs of weirdness…

He should've known that Sasuke would never hurt him!

Suddenly, a loud impact brought the blonde out of his anguished musings. Slightly startled, he shifted his position upon the ground to glance at the source of the violent crash. Ignoring the burning pain that raced up his spine at the abrupt movement, the blonde's eyes widened dramatically as the sight in front of him filled his blurry vision…

Sasuke laid bloody and bruised, his broken body sprawled hazardously against the bottom trunk of the oak tree. His clothes were torn, his bottom lip busted, and his right arm was twisted in an excruciatingly odd angle…

Naruto only just managed to see the bright red sharingan fade to a lifeless black, before his already broken heart shattered for the millionth time…

----------------------------------------------

Itachi smirked in glee as he took in the shocked expression that sketched visibly across the blonde's face. Widened blue eyes appeared to slowly roam over the body of the younger Uchiha, as confusion, disbelief and mortification simultaneously overpowered all common sense…

Itachi had to fight back a laugh.

It was all _too_ easy… Sasuke had barely even put up a fight! The younger Uchiha had _definitely_ weakened since their battle last year… And even if he was reluctant to admit it, his little brother had actually injured him quite severely during their last confrontation… For some strange reason, and reasons that Itachi didn't even understand now, after explicitly describing his 'objective' to break the little blonde kitsune, Sasuke had seemed to gain an indescribable amount of power…

What was that old saying? Something about power and defending the one's you loved…?

Pah – what a load of bullocks…

Love was _nothing_ compared to the indescribable powers of hate.

But whatever the reason, the fact that he had to actually _use_ his illusionary technique against his brother just proved what a worthy adversary Sasuke really was… Very few people ever got the chance to experience his genjutsu skills - which were usually saved and depended upon as a last resort… Fortunately, it _did_ manage to provide a much needed distraction to allow him to escape… After which he had to spend a whole 6 months in recovery…

But then again, who could've guessed that the younger Uchiha would actually fall for the illusion so easily? It was actually quite fortunate for him that the Sasuke's chakra supply wasn't as abundant as his… It meant that he could sustain his sharingan for a much longer period of time compared to his little brother…

In other words, he was definitely lucky that Sasuke's sharingan had faded _just_ as he had activated his genjutsu… Otherwise, who knows what would've happened to him?

He could very possibly be dead.

Gazing at the blonde again in amusement, Itachi had to stifle a chuckle as the usually flushed and expressive face turned deathly pale in front of his eyes.

And who would've thought that his little brother's irritating presence could actually help and assist his cause?! He should've thought of this sooner…! To kill the blonde's most loved one right in front of his very eyes… Surely that would break him!

'_And this is all thanks to you Sasuke-kun_!' Itachi thought maliciously. '_Maybe you do have some use for your pathetic life after all!' _

Stalking forward purposely, the older Uchiha grabbed his younger brother viciously by the neck, then roughly hauled the limp body up onto his feet.

"Pathetic…" he drawled, black hair flaying wildly as he brutally shook the unconscious boy. "You're not even worthy of our family name…" He spared a glance at the unmoving blonde, before roughly slamming his brother's body back into the crumbling ground.

Naruto, if possible, managed to turn even paler.

Itachi sneered in satisfaction, before he violently crushed his foot against Sasuke's chest. "You should be honoured _Sasuke_…" he spat, his sharingan eyes cold and cruel, as he grinded his heel into the younger boy's torso. "Cos I'm going to do us all a favour and end your futile existence…"

The older Uchiha silently congratulated himself as he watched the blonde begin to tremble violently. His heart pumped furiously at the sight – sending his blood roaring loudly in his ears - as the addictive blasts of excitement increased in torrents. It was so close – so near… He could _feel_ it… He could _feel_ the intoxicating rush start to overwhelm him… _So much power…_ The power of the Kyuubi…

_The power of the Kyuubi was near… _

Itachi smirked, his expression twisted into one of vile vindictiveness, as he raised his arms to deliver the final blow. Sasuke will die – but he _will not_ die a worthless death! He will help unleash the terrifying power of the Kyuubi – he will help change the world!

_The Uchiha name will go down in history! _

Itachi grinned in elation as the heady rush of triumph began to overwhelm him. But as he began to initiate the hand seals for his finishing jutsu, a sudden blur of movement caught his eye.

What the - ? What was that? So _fast_… So-

Eyes widened slightly in mild shock, Itachi looked down… Sasuke… His brother -

…His brother was gone!

----------------------------------------

Itachi twisted his neck around in disbelief, to rest his eyes upon the spot that Naruto had collapsed under.

The blonde was gone too!

Anger and adrenaline simultaneously rushed through his veins. Where was that fucking idiot? Where did he run off to? And how dare he interrupt his little interaction with his younger brother?

Just who the fuck did he think he is?!

"Don't you ever dare touch Sasuke again."

Itachi froze, before spinning around with as much dignity as he could muster, to face the source of the cold voice that had taken him completely by surprise. The voice was filled with so much hate… So much contempt…

Shocked sharingan eyes met hard blue. What the hell was going on? Was _this_ Naruto? What the hell was happening?

And how the hell did the blonde manage to move so fast?

"Where's Sasuke?" Itachi growled, thankful that his confident tone of voice effectively concealed the confusion and uneasiness residing deep inside. He wasn't used to being taken by surprise – and this was _definitely_ unanticipated…

And the hate… Where was it all coming from? He had never before sensed anything so intense in his life… Could all this hate really be stemming from one person?

_Or was this just the doing of the Kyuubi? _

"Fuck you." Naruto's voice was dangerously soft, but his eyes were blank with severe hatred. It was as if he were a completely different person – long gone were the blue eyes that expressed so much emotion, the eyes that conveyed the depths of his soul…

Instead, stood in his place was a cold and callous man.

Itachi involuntarily shivered. Just what the hell was going on now? Where was the pathetic blonde that wouldn't stop trembling? Where was the boy that had almost surrendered everything to him, without even _attempting_ to put up a fight?

"Run away," the soft voice continued, intense seriousness laced within the icy words. "Run away now, before I hurt you…"

Uneasiness immediately developed into furious anger within the dark-haired man. How dare this boy! No one had _ever _dared to treat him with such disrespect before! Run away?! Why the fuck would _he_ run away?! He was Itachi for god's sake! The fucking genius ninja since the age of 4 – the same man who had _single-handedly_ terminated the whole of the prestigious Uchiha clan in _one_ night…

And. Itachi. _Does. Not._ Run. Away!

"Hurt me?" he snorted, his fists clenched tightly by his sides. "Don't make me lau-"

But before he could finish his sentence, a fist was planted firmly in between his eyes. Itachi crashed roughly onto the ground, red eyes widening in pure shock as blood began to drip profusely from his nose… What the - ? How did - ?

How did he move so fast?! And why the hell couldn't he detect any of it?

Could that boy possibly move faster than his sharingan?!

"Leave now, or I will kill you."

Itachi glared menacingly as he stumbled unsteadily onto his feet. Raging anger immediately replaced his earlier uncertainty. _Kill him?_ Who the hell did the cocky blonde cunt think he was? No one could kill him! Not even Sasuke! And now the fucking little blonde thought that _he_ was all powerful, just because he had gotten _one_ initial hit in…?

He was taken by surprise, that's all! It was nothing but a lucky strike!

"Kill me?" Itachi sneered, wiping his nose upon the sleeve of his cloak, before taking up a fighting stance. "I'll kill you and then eliminate your whole fucking village before you can-"

The older Uchiha found himself blocking his face as a kick was unexpectedly directed towards his head. Almost immediately after, he felt a sudden painful impact against his lower back, which forced him to collapse onto his knees. Black eyes widened in shock – did the blonde just…? How did he - ? But how did he - ?

And why the fuck couldn't he perceive _any_ of it?!

"I don't want to hurt you."

"Fuck you!" Itachi yelled, as the pain from the two impacts began to overwhelm his senses. Then again, the physical pain was nothing compared to his wounded pride… He just couldn't believe it… This had never _ever_ happened to him before! Never in his whole life had _anyone_ managed to hit him twice in succession without so much as suffering a single blow…!

"I do not have time for you, leave now or-"

"I'm not fucking leaving without the Kyuubi!" Itachi hissed, as he once again arranged himself into a defensive posture, determined to keep his sharingan eyes locked vigilantly upon his target. There was no way that the stupid blonde would get a third hit in!!

Naruto merely looked at him coldly, his eyes terrifyingly blank, before crossing his arms in a demonstration of mock fascination. "Oh? And just how are you going to get the 'Kyuubi?'"

"Easy!" the Uchiha spat, his eyes gleaming with a wild look of possessed frenzy. "It's close enough already – I can feel it! I can feel the Kyuubi fighting to get free! So much power… So much hatred…! And it will all be mine!"

"Can you feel it now?" the voice was soft, and Itachi barely managed to gasp in surprise before he realised that the voice had originated behind him. He immediately jumped onto an upper branch of a nearby tree, before redirecting his glare at the impassive blonde with a mixture of fear and frustration.

Just why couldn't he see him move?!

"I said, can you feel it now?" Naruto repeated, his hauntingly vacant eyes cutting into the older Uchiha like newly sharpened steel.

Itachi kept a scowl firmly fixed upon his features before considering the blonde's question. The truth was, at that exact moment in time, he could barely sense the presence of the fox… It was as if the fiery sensations he had experienced earlier were nothing but a figment of his imagination… Did the boy somehow suppress the demon? Did he manage to control it…?

Impossible! Itachi shook his head roughly to clear his wavering thoughts. A mere boy could _never_ control the destructive powers of the Kyuubi!!

And he was stupid for even _considering_ it…!

"I bet you can feel it now…"

Itachi's eyes widened dramatically as he felt a sudden influx of indescribable power flare up within a close proximity to him. Standing in Naruto's place was some sort of swirling vortex… A purple swirling vortex…

A vortex of chakra…?!

But how?! Where?! Where did he get so much chakra from?! And how could one boy contain such immense power?!

Wait… Purple!? Could it be?

Could the boy have somehow broken the ancient laws of demon-human hybrids? Was it possible for someone to have merged _completely_ with a demon?

Feeling an overwhelming amount of jealously surge within, Itachi launched himself violently towards the blonde. How dare he! How dare he ruin _everything_? The Kyuubi was meant to be his! HIS! It wasn't meant to belong to some fucking prissy little fag! _He _was supposed to control it! _He_ was supposed to master it! It was HIS damn it! It fucking belonged to him!

"DIE!" he screamed, letting his rage and anger take over, before his fist flew viciously towards the unmoving blonde.

The last thing he noticed before the world went black was that Naruto's eyes were no longer blue…

Instead, they flared a deep hue of purple.

-----------------------------------------

Naruto had never felt so powerful before in his whole entire life. It was a rush – the power, the intensity – it was all addictive, intoxicating… He felt in control – free from all the fear and worry that the harshness of reality provided…

Nothing mattered anymore – nothing mattered but to kill this son of a bitch who dared to touch _his_ Sasuke. His morals – his reluctance to kill – all his principles were tossed carelessly into the wind as he advanced slowly towards his opponent… Like a hunter pursuing his prey…

He was going to murder for the first time in his life.

And he was going to enjoy it.

He glared spitefully at the broken body sprawled out before his feet. He knew he shouldn't be wasting his time here – Sasuke needed medical attention, and the sooner he received it, the better and faster he'd recover. But the power surging through him was addictive, and highly persuasive…

He could have fun hurting this bastard.

He swung his foot back before reconnecting it against Itachi's ribs with a loud crack. Broken ribs, and possibly a pierced lung. Naruto smirked, before crushing his foot against the Uchiha's chest.

"I guess I'll be doing us all a favour by ending _your_ pathetic life…" he mocked, as he ground his heel roughly into the older man's torso.

He was strong. He was in control.

So caught up in the heady rush of power, Naruto didn't perceive the trembling dark-haired woman that had crept up silently behind him. If he had, he would've realised that it was the same person that he had sensed before – and that he was wrong to have dismissed her presence off as a mere squirrel…

He didn't see the gleaming black object that was grasped within her shaking hands, nor did he discern the grim look of determination that flashed across her brown eyes…

He didn't notice any of these things.

But he _did_ hear the 5 shots that were fired successively from the black object – 5 shots that sounded like huge explosions to his ears…

A 6th shot was fired only seconds later, before the distinctive sound of a limp body hitting ground could be heard.

Face completely drained of colour, and eyes reverted to their normal blue, Naruto turned around slowly to face his assailant. His vision was greeted by a woman's body sprawled lifelessly upon the ground, her white hands clenched tightly around a black gun protruding from her mouth, and blood – _so much blood_ – seeping profusely from the back of her head…

Then glancing up to face his saviour, Naruto felt the life drain out of body. Standing in front of him like a barrier, with his arms stretched out wide, was one Uchiha Sasuke…

With 5 bullets imbedded within his chest…

--------------------------------------------

Sasuke vaguely felt himself fall before he was captured within a pair of strong and warm arms. His vision was starting to become fuzzy – but he didn't need to see his embracer to know that it was Naruto…

He always smelled so good…

"I'm… Sorry…" he mumbled, before he felt himself being lowered gently onto the ground. If only he had gotten here earlier… Then maybe Naruto wouldn't have suffered so much…

"Shh... It's ok… Everything's going to be ok… Stay here, I'm going to get some help-"

"No…! Don't… Leave me!" Sasuke half-yelled, then wished he hadn't, as intense pain immediately assaulted him from all sides. "I mean… Hinata… She's… coming…"

"Ok…" the blonde whispered, sounding as if he were on the verge of tears.

Straining to open his eyes, the raven-haired boy gazed adoringly into the face of the only person that he had ever loved.

"Why… you crying?" he frowned softly, before reaching up a trembling hand to brush the silver tears away. "Don't cry…"

"Sasuke, I lo-"

"Shh…" the Uchiha placed a finger upon Naruto's lips to halt his speech. He knew what he was going to say – he was going to say that he loved Hinata. But just because he knew that the blonde's heart belonged to another, it didn't mean that it wouldn't hurt to hear it come from his lips…

But it was ok… He had known all along anyway… Just as long as he was happy…

Just as long as he was safe…

"I don't… Have much time… Left…"

"No!" Naruto sobbed, his tears streaming freely down his face. "Don't… Don't say that! Don't you ever say that!"

Sasuke only smiled, before letting his eyes flutter close in exhaustion, as his arm dropped heavily by his side. Too much effort was now required to keep his vision focused, and he still had so much to say… But it was ok - he was more than content with the fact that the last thing he had looked at – the image forever residing within his soul – were into the beautiful blue eyes of his one true love…

God he was beautiful…

"Don't cry… for me…" he whispered gently, before violently coughing up a mouthful of metallic liquid. He guessed it was his blood… He could smell it, he could feel it dripping down his skin… It was everywhere - on his sides… Soaking his back…

How he wished he was within Naruto's arms again…

The blonde continued to cry.

"Naruto…" he demanded weakly. "Listen to me…Can you… do me one… thing? Just one… thing…"

A whispered 'yes' was the only response he got.

"Become Hokage… Fulfil… your dream…" he gasped desperately for more oxygen before continuing his plea. "Promise… me…"

How he would love to see Naruto succeed… To prove everyone wrong – to show all the villagers that he wasn't just a worthless demon… That everyone had hopes – everyone had dreams - no matter what their background… No matter their circumstance…

"Promise… me... Naruto…"

"I promise… And you'll be there with me, right?" Naruto whispered in between sobs, as he grabbed desperately onto the raven-haired boy's hand. "We'll do it together, just like in the old days… Me and Sasuke! The unstoppable duo! And I'll make you vice-Hokage, and we'll argue about who does the paperwork…"

Sasuke chuckled weakly, before letting a small smile linger upon his features. "You know I… love you… don't you…?"

"Sasuke, I -"

"Please," the Uchiha interrupted, as he gasped desperately for his words. "Let me… continue…"

Sasuke felt his body start to relax as the intense feelings of pain began to subside. Everything was becoming so numb, and yet it was so enticing… To just fall into nothingness… It was all so alluring…

But before he did that, he had just one more thing to tell Naruto…

"Remember that…day…? After… the engagement… party…" each word was becoming increasingly harder and harder to pronounce, and so Sasuke continued speaking without waiting for a confirmation. "You passed… out… and I tucked… you… into bed…"

"That's when… I realised… that I would… always love you…"

Sasuke smiled softly to himself. He could never forget that night – the night that he had ultimately accepted his feelings towards the blonde… The night he stopped running…

The night he had finally stopped denying…

"I… watched you… sleeping… for the whole… night… and I just… couldn't believe… how beau -… how beautiful… you were…"

Sasuke's voice became weaker and weaker.

"And when the… sun rose… and reflected… off your face… I didn't…know where… heaven… started… and you…ended…"

Naruto cried even harder.

"Just… remember… I'll always…love you… and I'll… continue… to watch you…"

Sasuke heard some desperate sounding pleas from the blonde, before everything became misty and blurred. He vaguely perceived a few footsteps nearby – was that Hinata? And that voice… Was that Kakashi? - before his grip upon Naruto's hand weakened.

He was running out of time.

"And remember… to… keep… your… promise…"

Then everything faded to black.

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End chapter 19

DON'T HURT ME....!!! IT DOESN'T EVEN SAY WHETHER SASUKE DIED OR NOT!! ducks from onslaught of sharp pointy objects

But I have something to confess - I CRIED while writing this chapter...

Please review (to cheer me up), while I go off and cry some more... sniff

Once again, sorry for Itachi's OOCness. I don't really know anything about him!!

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for the final chapter.

And if you would still like to join the mailing list, please email me x x


	20. I see you got your smile back

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto. Please don't sue. I am very poor!  
**Title**: I think I better leave right now - chapter 20 - FINALE**  
Author**: Purrfectly679 - e-mail for comments and suggestions. Feedback highly appreciated.  
**Rating**: PG-13, angst. Hint of SakuSasu, SasuNaru.  
**Notes**: This one is dedicated to you guys - the best reviewers in the world!

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Kakashi stood rigidly, his eyebrows drawn in silent contemplation, as he stared unblinkingly at his former student… Or more correctly, stared at the _body_ of his former student, lying immobile upon the white pristine sheets of Konoha's hospital bed…

It was wrong… Everything was wrong! He was so pale… So deathly pale…Why did this have to happen to him? Hadn't he been through enough already?

_Hadn't he suffered enough already? _

The silver haired man sighed bitterly. The doctors had said that he'd be fine… But that had been over a month ago! A whole damn month! That's over 4 weeks!! 4 whole weeks and the boy was still there! Still lying in the same damn position!! He hadn't moved an inch, hadn't even opened his eyes…

He gazed sadly at the small body connected to the hundreds of machines surrounding him, all flashing steadily and beeping constantly to confirm the boy's continuous life-force… But no matter how persistently the monitors verified the existence of life, the copycat ninja of Konoha knew otherwise… He _knew_ that the boy wasn't alive…

You couldn't call _that_ living… He was nothing but a shell… A fragile shell of his former self…

And shells did not live.

"I'm sorry…" the silver-haired jounin whispered softly. The words had almost become like a daily ritual for him, spoken even when there was no evidence that they were ever heard… He knew that the dire situation was partly his own fault, and even then his sincere apologies did little to calm his raging guilt and apprehension building deep inside…

If only they had arrived earlier… Would it have made a difference? Would the boy be moving, smiling – _living_ - instead of just lying there like a breathing corpse?

Was it their fault?

_Were they too late to save him? _

"Kakashi-sensei…?" a soft voice brought the silver-haired ninja out of his deep brooding. He glanced sharply at the intruder by the door of the hospital room, his expression relaxing noticeably at the sight.

_Iruka_ – good old dependable Iruka… The only other person that bothered to visit every single day…

The silver haired man merely nodded in acknowledgement.

"Aa… Well…" the brown-haired teacher seemed to be struggling with his words, as if slightly reluctant to voice his thoughts. "I was… Uhm… I was just wondering whether you wanted to go -"

"No thank you," Kakashi interrupted curtly. This was another scenario that happened at least once a day… He already knew what the other man was about to suggest, and no, he wasn't going to leave his student…

Not again. He would never let his students down again…

"But you've been here for 3 days straight now! You need a shower! And something to eat! You know, this isn't - "

" – healthy, I know…" the silver-haired jounin interrupted drolly. Iruka said the exact same things everyday… It was starting to get _really_ predictable, if not slightly irritating…

"If you know, then why aren't you doing something about it?" the dark haired man sighed exasperatedly, as he folded his arms in frustration. "I'll look after him from here – nothing will happen - "

"No," Kakashi muttered stubbornly. He knew that the teacher had a good heart, but it still confused him greatly to why the man even bothered to try… Was he really stupid, or just plain ignorant to everything around him? Why did he continually try to convince him to leave, when all he did was decline in the same old fashion?

_'No, I'm not going to leave, and no, there's nothing you or anyone else could do about it…'_

Just which part didn't he understand?

"This isn't your fault, you know…"

Kakashi nodded, falling into the comfortable steps of their well-rehearsed script. But no matter how much Iruka tried to convince him otherwise, he knew it was his fault… If only he had been a little wiser… A little more observant…

_Then maybe none of this would've ever happened… _

"There's nothing that you could've done…"

_Then maybe he wouldn't have let another student down… _

"You wouldn't have been able to change anything…"

_Then maybe he wouldn't have to lose another one of his 'special' people… _

"Kakashi… Are you even listening to me?!" Iruka frowned, jarring the brooding man back into the harsh clutches of reality.

The silver haired man smiled softly, as he gazed into deep brown eyes that overflowed with compassionate empathy… It hurt to see his eyes so full of trust – so full of hope… Such innocent eyes burning with such fervent confidence…

_Confidence in him… Confidence that he didn't deserve… _

Kakashi opened his mouth as if to say something, then decided against it before abruptly turning away. He didn't want to impose upon the rigid boundaries established within their daily performance, and yet he just couldn't face those eyes anymore… Those warm eyes that persistently rejected his pleas of guilt, even though deep inside he _knew_ that he was to blame…

"I'm fine, Iruka…" he murmured softly, wishing deep within his heart that the other man would just go away and leave him alone… He didn't want his pity, nor his sympathy… He didn't want his forgiveness - _didn't want him to understand_… He just wanted to suffer in peace…

_He deserved to suffer… _

"You're not fine!" the brown-haired man muttered in frustration, as he sent a cold death glare towards the apathetic jounin. "When will you finally see that _It's. Not. Your. Fault_? You don't seem to- "

Iruka halted mid-rant, as the sudden sound of footsteps made its presence known at the foot of the doorway. Kakashi frowned, and immediately tensed – this occurrence was definitely out of the ordinary… After all, if he was here, and Iruka was here…

_Then who the hell was standing at the door? _

Slowly and quietly, a small blonde woman entered the room.

"Tsunade-sama…"

The two men bowed respectfully at the sight of Konoha's leader.

"Kakashi-sensei… Iruka-sensei…" the fifth Hokage nodded in acknowledgement, before stepping towards the unresponsive boy neatly tucked into the starch white hospital bed. She sighed sadly upon reaching the small body – the tiny form seemed to drown under the multitude of wires, all connecting him to one vital machine or another… It made him look like a lifeless doll – as if the wires were the only strings that held him up…

_And that the strings were the only things that kept him going… _

"I have some news…" the blonde woman whispered softly, as she tore her gaze away from the pale and expressionless boy lying before him. "We managed to trace the woman…"

Kakashi immediately stiffened upon hearing the news.

"Her name is Kazuki Riyoka, classified as 'missing' from within the hidden village of sound…" Tsunade's voice was gentle, yet firm. "5 years ago, she ran away from the Riyoka establishment at the tender age of 17, the reasons of which are still unknown…"

"She has a clean record – no past details of any violent activities, nor anything else which could be used to explain or constitute to her sudden reckless behaviour. She has no creditable combat skills, and as far as we know, she has never been trained as a ninja…"

"Her connection to Uchiha Itachi is still unspecified."

The silver haired ninja immediately growled upon hearing the cursed name fall from the Hokage's lips. Itachi that bastard – he was the reason why all this happened… He was the reason why his pupils now had to suffer – the reason why they were all hopelessly drowning in pain…

He was the fucking reason why everything was so damn fucked up.

That bastard – that son of a bitch – he deserved to suffer!! He deserved to suffer for what he did to Naruto… For what he did to Sasuke, and for anyone else he had ever tormented within his life… He wasn't worthy of the quick and painless death that was implemented upon him… He deserved to die slowly, to suffer a cruel and anguished death… To suffer as he had made others suffer…

He wasn't human.

And he didn't deserve to be treated as one.

"What about that weapon she had?" Iruka asked quietly, seeing the barely restrained anger flickering across Kakashi's face.

"The ANBU have been investigating, but so far, no useful leads have been found. We have dismantled the original entity, and it seems to be a shooting device of some kind. There are 6 slots, where the cartridges are assumed to be placed, and pressing on the trigger enables a single cartridge to shoot out at unimaginable speeds…"

"What are the cartridges made of?" Iruka interrupted hastily, worry and anxiety apparent within his voice.

"Cast iron – same material as our kunais – but theirs have been case hardened…"

"So basically, they're like mini shurikens?"

"No…" Tsunade shook her head, with a strange regretful gleam in his dark eyes. "They're worse…"

_"Much worse…" _

A tense silence descended upon the inhabitants of the room, where nothing could be heard but for the constant beeping from the machines… All three companions appeared lost in deep thought regarding the severe implications of the previous statement… That is, until –

"DAMN IT!"

Two sets of surprised eyes stared at Kakashi, shocked at the sudden outburst from the usually placid jounin.

Kakashi clenched his fists and punched the wall again, shattering the white paint and plaster with one forceful strike. The pain didn't even register within his mind.

"Why the fuck would anyone make something like that?" he growled, his teeth gritted in frustration. He didn't plan on losing his cool, nor did he intend to swear in front of the Hokage, but just _hearing_ about that… that _lethal contraption_ – it just made him so _angry_…

_Especially since Sasuke… _

Kakashi sighed and lowered his eye in a mixture of reckless anger and confusion. Just… Just what the hell were the inventors thinking? And why…? Why would they make something like that? Such a dangerous and destructive weapon – didn't they care? Didn't they care about all the people that would inevitably die at the hands of the device? Didn't they care about people like Sasuke?

Didn't they care about the suffering? About the pain?

_Didn't they care about anything? _

"Unfortunately, we highly doubt that this weapon had been produced as a one off…" Tsunade continued, her voice grim and serious. "In other words, there are probably more contraptions like this circulating within the black market… And if they should fall into the wrong hands…"

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Iruka asked softly, his voice becoming hoarse and bleak.

"The ANBU are still trying to determine the contraption's origins… And until then, we can do nothing else but hope and pray…"

"_Just hope and pray_…" Kakashi echoed dully. He glanced forlornly at the comatose boy swathed in white, before a distant gleam entered his eye…

_Wasn't it unfortunate that he just happened to run out of hope…? _

--------------------------------------------------

Naruto frowned as he stood in front of the training academy. What was he doing here? He hadn't been here since… Since… Since – God, he couldn't even _remember _the last time he had visited…

He frowned in confusion. Just what was going on here? He felt weird… And why was everything so dull? So… foggy? He took a step forward, before scanning the surrounding vicinity with cautious bewilderment…

Well… Nothing seemed different… The school looked just as it was, except it did seem awfully quiet… But the swing was still there…

A small bitter smile graced his lips, as memories of his lonely childhood flashed up into his mind… He had never been a popular kid… While the other children held hands, and played games in the playground, he could usually be found swinging in isolation under the shade of the tree… Up and down, up and down…

_Up and down… _

It became hypnotic after a while… But at least then it became easier to pretend… He used to love those games, those 'make believe' games… It was simple really - he just closed his eyes and then everything became perfect… He had friends, he had parents… He had a warm home, filled with laughter, and not just a cold, empty apartment… He had someone to hold him, someone to hug him… Someone to tell him that everything would be ok…

And most importantly, he had someone to love him… Someone that cared…

Naruto shook his head nostalgically. Now was no time to get all sentimental – he still had to find out what the hell he was doing here!

"Where are you?"

Naruto spun around immediately to face the source of the sound, his heart pounding furiously within his chest.

"S-Sasuke?!" he yelled incredulously, as his blue eyes dropped open in shock. Standing in front of him was a small pale boy, around 5-6 years old, with unique features that unmistakably affirmed his identity as the one Uchiha Sasuke. But how?! And when?! Did he somehow travel back in time? And just where _did_ the raven-haired boy come from?! The blonde was _certain_ that he was alone only a few moments ago…

Just what the hell was going on?!

Naruto frowned as Sasuke continued to scan the outside of the academy with his big dark eyes. He had to admit – the Uchiha _did_ look kinda cute as a child… Cute as in a child-trying-to-act-mature kinda cute… He also looked much older than his height suggested, but the blonde wasn't really sure whether that was a good or bad thing…

It just seemed like such a waste of a valuable childhood.

Mini-Sasuke's expression remained solemn. "Where are you?" he repeated steadily, his voice a complete monotone.

"What are you talking about?" Naruto looked adorably confused, as he crouched down to face the chibi boy at eye-level. It felt extremely odd to look down at the dark-haired boy… Especially when said boy had always been one or two inches taller than the blonde throughout their _entire_ childhood together…

Heh. Life was cruel.

Naruto shook his head roughly to clear his wavering thoughts, before searching the Uchiha's dark eyes for information, only to find them blank, lifeless and staring straight past him. He shivered inwardly – was this Sasuke? And if it was, what the hell was wrong with him? Why was he so pale? Why were his eyes so emotionless?

And why did he seem so… so _dead_?

"Where are you?" the raven-haired boy asked, his voice a little louder, as he advanced towards the blonde.

"I'm right here…" Naruto answered, as his eyebrows furrowed in bewilderment. What did Sasuke mean by 'where he was?' He was right there, wasn't he? Right in front of him….

Couldn't the Uchiha see him?

"Where are you, Naruto?" Sasuke halted inches away from the confused blonde, before slowly settling himself down upon the ground. Small hands mindlessly fiddled with a blue shirt in agitation, before a heavy sigh of disappointment could be heard.

Naruto frowned. If it had been anybody _but_ Sasuke, he would've immediately presumed that the other person was playing a joke on him… But, alas, it _was_ Sasuke…

And Sasuke didn't play jokes.

"Sasuke?" the blonde scrunched up his nose in puzzlement. "Can you see me?"

The Uchiha didn't answer.

"Sasuke…" Naruto knelt down in front of his mini-teammate and attempted to catch the raven-haired boy's attention. He waved his hands wildly around in front of the Uchiha's impassive face, but to no avail.

Sasuke continued to stare sullenly at the ground, his hair blowing softly in the wind. "Where are you, Naruto…?" he whispered softly, so softly that it was barely audible against the gentle murmur of the breeze.

"I'm… right… here…" Naruto mumbled, a mixture of hurt and confusion flickering across his face, as he crawled closer towards the small yet stoic boy. What was going on? Just why couldn't Sasuke see him?

"I miss you…" the Uchiha whispered, his voice spilling with such raw emotion that it stopped Naruto's heart.

The blonde's breath hitched in his throat, as an expression of confusion contorted over his face. He hadn't been expecting _that_… But Sasuke had sounded so sincere… So… hopelessly forlorn… But it didn't make sense…! Why would the Uchiha miss him? He wasn't going anywhere… In fact, he hadn't even _planned_ on going anywhere…

Before he could stop himself, Naruto went to grasp the smaller boy into a tight and suffocating hug –

- only to fall right through him…

Naruto jumped back in shock. What the hell – ?

Sasuke continued to gaze sombrely at the ground, his expression still blank and lifeless. There was no evidence that the Uchiha was even aware of the blonde's presence.

"Sasuke?" Naruto's voice held a twinge of panic. What was going on now? Why couldn't Sasuke see nor hear him? And why couldn't he even _feel_ him? He slowly reached out a hand to touch the dark-haired boy, and watched in mute disbelief as his fingertips went completely through the smaller boy's arm… The blonde hastily retracted his hand in horror – what the hell was going on? Why couldn't he feel anything…?

_It was as if Sasuke wasn't even there… _

"Where are you Naruto?" the dark-haired boy whispered, oblivious to everything around him as he hugged his little knees tightly against his body. It made the chibi boy appear even smaller – even more vulnerable as he curled up into a defensive ball…

"I miss you so much…"

Blue eyes widened in shock as he heard the trembling boy's voice choke over with emotion. He glanced at the raven-haired boy in disbelief, and what he saw took his breath away…

The once stoic and expressionless face was now contorted in obvious pain, childlike eyes wide open and quivering, as silver tears slowly trailed down pale cheeks…

Naruto felt his heart break.

_Then everything faded to black… _

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Sakura laid unmoving upon her bed, back in her old room at her parents house. Her pink hair was unnaturally dull - the gleam that accompanied her happier days had all but disappeared… Her normally vivid green eyes were blank, lifeless… But at least they were no longer red…

She had run out of tears to cry a long time ago…

After she had heard the news that fateful day, she had immediately run home, crying in a mixture of shock and horror… Her mother had welcomed her back with open arms, no questions asked… But her expression was sympathetic, as if she understood the raging turmoil that her daughter was going through…

But it was all a façade - she didn't understand…

No one did.

Sakura hitched back an uneven breath as thoughts of that tragic day rushed erratically through her mind. She remembered seeing, for the first time in her life, Sasuke smiling – just smiling so _freely_ - as he walked out of the front door, as he walked self-voluntarily into danger… She remembered how her heart had stopped in that moment in time, as she realised just how beautiful the Uchiha was when he smiled…

_It saddened her that he had never smiled at her like that before… _

She remembered his last words clearly – as if they were only uttered a few seconds ago… He had said it so honestly, freely – so openly… As if it were the most simple and natural thing in the world…

_"Because I love him." _

His eyes had glinted then – shined with some hidden brilliance – and right at that point in time she _knew_ that she had lost him… She knew that no deep words, nor heartfelt actions would've been able to change his mind… It was painfully obvious that he didn't love her…

_And that his heart would always belong to someone else… _

She had wanted to go after him – go after him and demand an explanation for his unexpected behaviour – for his ambiguous words… She wanted to hear his denial - wanted to hear him deny it from his own lips – that it was a lie, that she was reading too much into it, that she was stupid for even _thinking_ that he loved Naruto in more that a platonic sense…

But she didn't.

She did nothing but watch his form rapidly disappear into the distance… She had collapsed then, as her knees went weak and refused to cooperate… She wanted to go after him – really she did… Then maybe… Maybe none of this would've happened… Maybe if she begged hard enough, he would've never left…

Then maybe… _Maybe no one would have to get hurt. _

Fresh tears sprang to green eyes. She should've been a little more assertive and confronted him! If only she hadn't been so damn afraid of hearing his words – his words which would've undoubtedly claimed that he didn't love her, and that he never could… If only she hadn't been afraid of hearing those harsh irrevocable statements, which would've, without a doubt, shattered her heart hopelessly into a million pieces…

If only she hadn't been afraid of hearing the truth - the truth that his dark eyes had revealed to her in one single glance… That it was true - that he loved Naruto with all his heart and soul… That his heart would forever belong in the fragile grasp of the blonde's, and that no matter what happened, he would continue to love him until the end of time…

_That he would love Naruto for all eternity… _

Because true love was unconditional…

A small tear slowly trailed down her cheek before Sakura even realised that she was crying. She thought that she had run out of tears a long time ago, but even now – after 4 whole weeks – she still had tears to spare… _And it still hurt so much_…

She buried her face deeper into her pillow, before a new onslaught of sobs wracked furiously through her trembling body. It seemed that no matter how much she cried, the pain still remained with her - still burning as viciously as the fateful day that Kakashi had informed her of Sasuke's situation… Like a wound that wouldn't heal, no matter how much time you gave it…

_Just why did it have to hurt so much? _

She continued to sob quietly as she realised that she still hadn't even visited the hospital yet… She knew that it was a duty for her to turn up, and yet she just couldn't bring herself to step out of the house… She couldn't bring herself to face him again – not after everything they had been through… Not after all the tears she had cried because of him, and all the times that she had felt used and manipulated…

A mixture of shame, anger and remorse surged violently through her…

And guilt. Especially guilt.

Remorse, because she felt that she could never face him again…

And guilt, because she knew that she could never forgive him.

--------------------------------------------

Naruto slowly entered his former classroom in confusion. What the hell was going on now? Only moments ago, he was standing outside the academy, then all of a sudden, he somehow ended up inside?!

…And where the hell was Sasuke?

At the thought of the Uchiha, Naruto immediately attempted to run back outside, only to find that the door he had just walked through had disappeared. Now all that stood in its place was a blank and smooth wall. The blonde frowned, before folding his arms and pouting simultaneously. Something weird was _definitely_ going on here…

"Naruto…"

Naruto immediately spun around at the sound of his name. His heart pumped furiously, as he realised that he had been caught off guard for the second time that day. Definitely _not_ the way to go…

"Sasuke!?" he yelled, as he glanced at the 12-13 looking year old boy in disbelief. What the hell…? How did the raven-haired boy manage to put on 6 years in a matter of seconds?! And he was absolutely _positive_ that the classroom was empty when he had entered! Bewildered blue eyes glanced at the far wall again – confirming the fact that the door _was_ still missing…

But… If there was no entrance…

Then just how the hell did the Uchiha get in here?!

"Naruto…"

Naruto glanced up into dark blank eyes, before shivering in apprehension. They were still so blank – still so bare…

Sasuke stopped directly in front of the blonde, before looking straight into his eyes.

"I miss you Naruto…" the shorter boy whispered hoarsely, dark eyes searching blue ones in desperation, voice choking over with unanswered questions.

The blonde hitched back a shaky breath. "Can you see me?" he asked anxiously, eyes burning with renewed hope. Sasuke was looking at him, right? Right?! That meant that he could see him… That meant…!

"Sasuke, can you see me?" Naruto repeated, a little more urgently, a little more desperately…

"Where are you, Naruto?" the Uchiha replied softly, never once breaking the intense eye contact that the two boys shared. He slowly walked closer towards the blonde, until they were only inches apart… Tenderly, he reached out a hand to touch Naruto's bewildered face…

But his fingers encountered nothing save for thin air.

"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled in anguish, throwing himself towards the unmoving boy, only to pass right through him. He tumbled painfully onto the ground, his body frozen in disbelief. Why…? Just… Just why couldn't he feel him?! God, he would do _anything_ – give up _everything_ – just to be able to _hold_ him… To just comfort him, and to show him that he was there, and that he was _never_ going to leave…

_Just why couldn't he even touch him? _

"You can see me, can't you?" Naruto pleaded, his eyes full of hope. "Tell me you can see me… Please tell me…"

The raven-haired boy glanced at his fallen companion with an expression of sad resignation.

"Do you even know how much I miss you?" he whispered, dark eyes filling with some indescribable emotion that made Naruto weak at the knees. He continued to hold the blonde's gaze with an intense vigour, even as the first tears began to make their way down his ivory cheeks.

Naruto felt his heart break a little more.

_Then once again, everything faded to black… _

------------------------------------------

The next time Naruto opened his eyes, he was beside the lake that had provided him with his most cherished memories. It took a couple of seconds for his vision to adjust to the night sky – but when he did, what he saw took his breath away…

The moon shone brightly against the pinpricks of white starlight, surrounding the lake with a mystical veil… The breeze swayed gently, creating small ripples upon the surface of the calm waters, as if dancing to a forgotten song of ancient times…

Never before had the blonde witnessed something _so_ beautiful…

"Naruto…?"

Naruto turned around sharply to face the direction of the voice, although he wasn't really surprised at the unexpected company anymore. After all – it had happened twice _already_…

"Sasu...ke…" the blonde's words trailed off, as his mouth dropped open in surprise at the sight in front of him.

Standing only 3 feet away from him was the most beautiful vision he had ever laid eyes upon. The dark-haired boy, now around his current age, seemed to be emitting an inner glow – giving him an almost ethereal look of fragile radiance. His skin glimmered like rare diamonds - intense sparkles that would undoubtedly fill the stars of heavens with bitter envy… And his eyes… His eyes burned with such intense fiery passion that it scared the blonde…

_Scared him to the depths of his soul… _

"Naruto…" Sasuke repeated, his voice gentle yet powerful. Naruto hitched back a breath in fear. _So this was what angels sounded like…_ "Where are you?"

The blonde stood rooted to the spot, his mind still unable to comprehend the image of the boy standing before him. Sasuke had made the lake look lifeless, had make sunsets and sunrises dull… He had made shooting stars seem mundane, and sakura blossoms seem dull…

It wasn't possible…

_It just wasn't possible for anything to be so beautiful… _

"Naruto…?"

Naruto looked up, only to be met with a somewhat bemused looking Uchiha.

"Sasuke…" the blonde held his breath. Sasuke was looking at him… That meant… That meant he could see him right? That meant… That meant…

Sasuke walked a step closer to the blonde, a small yet sad smile displayed upon his features.

It just made him even more breathtakingly beautiful.

"I miss you Naruto…"

The blonde felt hot tears well up in his eyes. Not again! Please… Not again… He couldn't go through it again! To just stand there doing nothing, while listening to Sasuke speak… To hear those words of longing and yearning, to see that expression contort over with pain… And knowing that he could do _nothing_ about it…

Knowing that he couldn't comfort him, _couldn't even touch him_…

It hurt so much… Why did it hurt so much…?

_Everything hurt so much… _

"Don't cry, Naruto… I just want to know… Where are you?" Sasuke murmured, as he took a step closer to the blonde.

Naruto immediately took a step back, even as tears began to fall freely from his eyes. He couldn't take this torment anymore – all Sasuke ever asked was where he was! It just didn't make sense! He was right in front of him damn it! The Uchiha must be able to see him, right…? So why did he even _bother_ asking?

_Nothing made sense anymore! _

A pained expression flickered across Sasuke's features.

"Naruto…?" he asked unsteadily, his eyes betraying his uneasiness deep inside, as if wondering why the blonde would recoil away from him… Did he somehow do something wrong?

"Stay away!" Naruto yelled, his blue eyes dilating wildly, as he took another step away from the raven-haired boy. He couldn't go through it again… Not again…

_He couldn't bear the disappointment of not being able to hold him all over again… _

"Naruto…?" Sasuke's voice cracked slightly, his dark eyes revealing his pain and confusion swirling inside.

"Stay away Sasuke!" Naruto was sobbing uncontrollably now, his tears pouring down in constant silver rivulets. "I can't take it anymore…! It hurts too much Sasuke… Please… It hurts…"

The raven-haired boy took a cautious step forward. "It's ok…" he soothed gently. "Everything's ok…"

"Shut up!" Naruto yelled, even as his tears began to choke and overwhelm him. "Stop getting my hopes up! You don't know how it feels…! I can't hold you, I can't even touch you… I-"

The blonde's words were cut short as he suddenly found himself encased within a pair of warm arms.

"Shh… It's ok…" Sasuke murmured, as he weaved his hands lovingly into thick strands of blonde hair. He rested his chin contentedly on top of Naruto's head, as his arms gently yet possessively wrapped themselves around the smaller boy's body.

The blonde froze, before burying his face deeper into the Uchiha's chest, inhaling the unique scent that can only be defined as Sasuke. This was real… _This was real!_ He could touch him, _he_ _could_ _hold_ _him_…

Naruto wrapped his arms tighter around the raven-haired boy's waist, crushing their two bodies closer together…

It felt so right… It felt so real…

Naruto began to cry again – except this time the tears were shed from joy and happiness… It was real – _he was real_… He could touch him… _He could finally touch him… _

And now, he was _never_ letting go.

-----------------------------------------

Initially, Kakashi looked confused upon hearing the loud constant beep emitting near the motionless boy. But as soon as he glanced at the pale frozen body, an expression of panic rapidly immediately formed upon his usually impassive features.

"Doctor!!" he roared loudly, trying his best to keep his anxiety under control, as he sprinted towards his former pupil's bedside.

Almost instantaneously, a party of doctors and nurses rushed in, surrounding the small-looking boy with impeccably trained efficiency. The silver-haired jounin found himself overwhelmed by the amount of activity taking place – incomprehensible orders were shouted, equipment obtained and actions commenced in the most time effective of methods…

Never before had he ever felt so unsure, so _useless_…

After what seemed like an eternity, the steady beep of the machines ensued - the same beep that the older man had considered insufferably annoying only a few hours ago…

And never before had the copycat ninja heard anything so beautiful.

------------------------------------

Naruto felt the older boy tense long before a gasp of pain was even heard. He lifted his head slightly off the Uchiha's chest to gaze into dark eyes inquisitively.

"Sasuke?" he whispered, his own blue eyes widening slightly at the obvious pain that flickered across the taller boy's expression. "Are… Are you ok?"

The Uchiha responded by crushing the blonde tighter against his body.

"Are… Are you hurt?" Naruto asked timidly, speaking so quietly that it was barely audible over the beat of his own heart. He didn't want to speak too loud – didn't want to ruin the atmosphere… He was too afraid, too frightened…

_He couldn't risk Sasuke disappearing again… _

The dark-haired boy hesitated. "Naruto… Where… Where have you been?"

The blonde frowned. What kinda question was that? "I've been…" he trailed off, unable to answer. A flicker of confusion crossed his features. He had been looking for Sasuke, right? And now that he found him, everything would be ok…

_Everything would be perfect… _

"Why didn't you come to visit me?"

Naruto raised his eyebrows in puzzlement. "I looked for you…" he trailed off uncertainly, before wrapping his arms tighter around the Uchiha. "Buts it's ok now… We're together, that's all that counts right?"

"Naruto…"

Naruto felt himself being gently pushed away from the warm embrace, until the two boys faced each other eye to eye.

A mixture of hurt and confusion flicked across the blonde's features. Why was Sasuke pushing him away? Didn't the Uchiha miss him?

"Sasuke?" Naruto questioned, his hands clutching the taller boy's arms almost desperately, as he wondered what the hell was going on. Blue eyes frantically searched black ones, only to find a deep sense of profound sorrow and distress…

_Why? What…What was going on? _

"Naruto, what do you remember?"

The blonde frowned in confusion. "I was looking for you, and then – "

"Naruto…" Sasuke interrupted desperately, his voice betraying his inner turmoil, which perplexed the blonde even more. "Please… I need you to remember…"

The smaller boy bit down upon his lower lip, as his grip on Sasuke's arms became tighter. Almost immediately, unwanted images and memories began to surge through his mind, making him feel sick to the stomach… Visions of the dark-haired boy… Visions of cruel Sharingan eyes… Memories of pain…

_Memories of so much pain… _

"No… I don't… I…" the blonde whispered, as his head began to spin from nausea. Why was Sasuke doing this to him? He didn't want to remember – he didn't want to remember the pain… It hurt…

_It hurt so much… _

"Please, Naruto…"

The blonde looked up into dark eyes, only to find them filled with desperate tears. Sasuke… Sasuke was crying? But… Why? Why was Sasuke crying?

_Angels shouldn't cry… _

"I…" Naruto trembled, as images of a cruel Sasuke once again invaded his mind. Sasuke kissing him, Sasuke hurting him… But _why_? Why would Sasuke hurt him…? _It just didn't make sense_…! Sasuke loved him, right? And people… People didn't hurt the ones that they loved…

Sasuke… _Unless Sasuke didn't love him? _

Unconsciously, he let his hand slacken and drop from the Uchiha's arm…

He didn't see the stab of pain in Sasuke's eyes that ensued.

"You…" Naruto managed to choke out. "You were hurting me…" he trailed off, before clenching his eyes shut in pain. He _wanted_ to deny it, he _wanted_ to pretend that everything was fine…! But those eyes… Those sharingan eyes… They were so cold… But Sasuke… Why would he…?

Naruto moved another step backwards. He didn't want to remember… He didn't want to go through it again…

_He didn't want to hurt anymore… _

Suddenly, blue eyes flew open as new images filled the blonde's mind – images of… another Sasuke? There were 2 Sasukes? No… That's impossible… That man… That man wasn't Sasuke! He was… Itachi? Was that possible? …Sasuke was protecting him! Then there was a fight… And the real Sasuke… He… he…

_Sasuke…! _

"Do you remember now?" the dark-haired boy asked softly, as blue eyes shot open in disbelief.

"You were hurt…" Naruto whispered, tears springing to his eyes as images of the Uchiha's broken body flashed through his mind. Itachi… Itachi hurt him…. He hurt his own brother…! There was so much blood, so much pain… Sasuke was hurt…

_Sasuke was hurt because of him… _

"What else do you remember?" the raven-haired boy probed gently, a deep look of resignation within his eyes.

"I… You… You went to hospital…. I went… I went to look for you…"

"Shh… Naruto…" Sasuke reached out a thumb, and stroked the blonde's cheek in a soothing manner, trying his best to calm the trembling boy. "I need you to think clearly…" he murmured quietly. "Please… Please remember…"

"I… I didn't come to visit you…" Naruto choked out, as tears of regret spilled down his cheeks. "I'm sorry Sasuke… I never… I wasn't there when you needed me… I… I was scared…"

_"I was so scared…" _

Apprehensively, the blonde braved a glance into the Uchiha's dark eyes, expecting to find emotions of anger and disappointment swirling around. He knew he had been a coward – but how could he explain it? How could he explain the fact that he wasn't there when Sasuke needed him, just because he was scared? Scared of losing the man that had haunted his dreams for 5 years… Scared of losing his teammate, friend, rival, lover – _whatever_ their relationship… Scared that the only person he had ever loved would never get up again…

_Scared because it was all his fault… _

But instead of finding resentment and bitterness within those black eyes, all he found was a profound sense of sorrow.

And in many ways, that was even worse.

"Naruto…" Sasuke hesitated, even as his thumb continued to rub soothing circles along the blonde's cheek. "You're not… You're not remembering… Think harder… Think – why didn't you come to visit me?"

"I already said – I was scared…"

"No, Naruto… That's not the reason… Think harder… _Why didn't you come to visit me_?"

The blonde frowned. Why was Sasuke trying to make excuses for him? Couldn't he just accept the fact that he was scared? But it was ok now, right…? They were together… That's all that mattered…

_And now everything would be perfect… _

"It doesn't matter…" Naruto murmured despairingly, as he flung himself into Sasuke's arms, desperate for the comfort of human contact. "It's over now, ok? I'm sorry… But it's in the past… We're together now, and that's all that matters, right? And everything will be ok… I'm never going to leave you, and you're never going to leave me… right?"

_"Right, Sasuke?" _

But instead of hearing words of agreement from the raven-haired boy, Sasuke merely tensed, before reluctantly releasing the smaller boy from his embrace.

A look of absolute pain flickered across the blonde's features. Why…? Why did he…?

_Didn't Sasuke love him anymore? _

"Naruto…" the Uchiha whispered, as crystal tears began spilling over his dark eyes. "We can't… We can't be together…"

The blonde froze in mortified confusion. Did he hear right? Did… Did Sasuke just say that they couldn't be together?

"I'm sorry…"

Naruto felt his world crumble and collapse around him. "Sasuke…?" he croaked, in disbelief, hoping with all his heart that this was nothing but a big misunderstanding… Or maybe that the Uchiha had suddenly acquired a sense of humour, and this was nothing but a really horrible joke…

But all he found in those dark eyes was a deep sense of longing, sorrow and regret.

"I… I'm sorry… I'm sorry I never went to visit you… But… But can't we work this out?" the blonde whispered in desperation, as tears began to spill relentlessly from his blue eyes. Agonising pain tore deep into him – it felt as if his heart and soul had been shattered beyond repair…

Sasuke didn't respond.

"But I love you!" Naruto cried in a mixture of anguish and hopeless desperation. Why was Sasuke doing this to him? How could he…? _How could he be so cruel_? After everything they had been through… After all those promises, all those tender words… After all those proclamations of undying love… Was it all just an act?

_Were they all just lies? _

"I love you so much Sasuke… Please…! Please don't do this to me…! After everything we've been through… After…"

"I love you too…" Sasuke interrupted hoarsely, his eyes full of genuine love and sincerity. "And I'll love you forever… But…"

_"But we can't be together…" _

"Why?" Naruto yelled, his fists clenched together tightly, even as the pain threatened to consume him from within. "Why can't we be together Sasuke? If you really loved me…" the blonde trailed off in desperation. "If you really loved me, you wouldn't do this to me…"

_"If you really loved me, you would never leave me…" _

"Don't you _ever_ doubt my love for you…!" Sasuke whispered harshly, with so much anger and passion that it shook Naruto to the core, undeniably proving the fact that the Uchiha's love was true. "_Don't you ever_…! After everything… After - "

"Then why won't you be with me?" the blonde interrupted, as his voice choked over with distress.

"I… I can't stay…"

"Why not?" Naruto demanded despairingly. "I'm sorry about the hospital visits, ok? But I'll never leave you again… I'll go wherever you go, I'll follow you wherever, _whenever - _"

"Naruto…" the Uchiha's voice was hesitant. "You don't seem to understand… I… _I was never at the hospital…" _

The blonde frowned in confusion. "Yes you were… You were brought in after…"

Suddenly, blue eyes went wide as more startling memories wracked violently into the smaller boy's mind. _Blood_… _Pain_… Sasuke… Hinata… Hinata trying her best… _Hinata crying_…? But why was Hinata crying…? Kakashi… Kakashi looking grim… _But Kakashi never looked grim…!_ _Tears_… Sasuke… Shikamaru looking troubled… More tears… Pain… So much pain… _Why was there so much pain? _An inhuman wail…

Sasuke had… Sasuke was… Sasuke is…

Blue eyes snapped to black in utter fear and disbelief.

"Sasuke…"

Sasuke was dead.

------------------------------------------

Kakashi stood frozen over the body of his former student in a mixture of fear and disbelief. That had been the first sign of movement from the immobile boy ever since he had slipped into a coma over a month ago… But the fact that his heart had stopped momentarily – was that bad, or merely a blessing in disguise?

But at least he _moved_, right? For the first time in over 30 days, he had actually _moved_… That was somewhat encouraging… That meant he was responding – that there was a chance that he was going to get better… Right?

"Wake up…" he whispered brokenly, hovering resentfully over the pale and motionless boy. "Why don't you wake up….?" It hurt so much to see the usually vibrant boy in a comatose state… It just seemed so _wrong_… So… _unnatural_…

"Please… Please come back…"

_"Please come back to us, Naruto…" _

-----------------------------------------

"NO!" Naruto yelled, as he shook his head furiously to purge the unwelcome thoughts burning within his mind. It's not true! It _can't_ be true!! Sasuke was here damn it! Sasuke wasn't dead – he was here! He was alive, he was breathing! His heart was beat-

The blonde froze in shock as realisation struck him like a lightening bolt. When… When the Uchiha had held him earlier… When he had curled up against his chest… Sasuke…

_Sasuke didn't have a heart beat. _

"Naruto…"

Naruto instinctively backed away from the raven-haired boy.

"Stay away!" he shouted, his voice hoarse and trembling with emotion. "You're lying to me!"

"Naruto…"

"SHUT UP!" Naruto screamed, as tears of frustration began their descent down his face. "Why are you doing this to me? Stop playing with my mind! You're not dead – _you're not dead_ damn it!"

"Listen to me!" Sasuke interrupted, his wild eyes clenched shut in desperation. "I don't have much time - "

"You're not dead!" the blonde yelled, ignoring the Uchiha's frustrated plea. "If you were dead, you wouldn't be here right now! You wouldn't be standing in front of me, you wouldn't be - "

"You're dying Naruto!"

The blonde paused in the middle of his outburst, his blue eyes wide open in bewilderment.

"That's the only reason I'm here!" Sasuke continued in desperation, taking the smaller boy's silence as encouragement to carry on. "You've been in hospital for over a month now, and you still haven't woken up… And… And if you don't get up soon…" the Uchiha trailed off, as a surge of indescribable emotion overwhelmed him.

_"You're going to die…" _

Naruto stood frozen, as if trying to grasp and comprehend all the ruthless information thrown cruelly at him. So Sasuke was dead…? And _he_ was the one in hospital…?

But… But that couldn't be true, could it? He was… They were _both_ standing here, for god's sake! How could Sasuke even _think_ of such a ridiculous concept?

But then again… What were they doing at the lake…? And how did they even get here?

Was this… _Was this a dream? _

The blonde took an uncertain step forward. "Are… Are you… really dead?" he whispered, slight confusion and hesitation within his words. Maybe it _was_ a dream… And dreams were supposed to be insightful or something, right?

But… Was it even possible to see dead people in dreams?

Sasuke nodded sadly but solemnly, giving Naruto no room for doubt on whether the Uchiha was being truthful or not.

The blonde slumped as his world shattered around him. _Sasuke was dead…?_ But… _But - _

In desperation, he reached up to grasp the raven-haired boy's hand, trembling as he asked the crucial question. "But you're real… Right? This isn't… This isn't just a dream?"

Sasuke hesitated. "I… I only have 10 minutes left…"

Naruto weaved their fingers intricately together. There were still so many unanswered questions – so many things that still didn't makes sense… Like how? And when…? But… None of it mattered anymore… None of it mattered in the end…

_All that mattered was Sasuke. _

"Then I don't want to get up…" the blonde murmured quietly.

His words echoed with an air of finality.

--------------------------------------

Sasuke felt panic building within him, like a volcano ready to burst. This wasn't how it was supposed to be! This visit – _this entire visit_ was implemented with the principle objective of rousing the blonde from his coma! He was supposed to persuade him to keep on living – not encourage him to give up his life!!

"Naruto…" Sasuke whispered desperately, as he pulled the smaller boy closer towards him. "Naruto, listen to me…"

He cupped the blonde's face with his two trembling hands on either side, gazing into blank blue eyes with his own intense black ones.

"Listen to me…!" he whispered, urgency evident within his voice. "You need to live… Hear me, Naruto? You. Need. To. Live."

"But I don't want to…"

"You promised me, Naruto…" Sasuke interrupted, his eyes frantically searching the blonde's for any signs of understanding. "You promised me, remember? You promised me that you'll become Hokage, no matter what… You promised me…"

"You promised me too!" the blonde yelled, as fresh tears spilled from his sore eyes. "You promised that you'd never leave me!! But you lied! You lied to me Sasuke!"

"Its not - "

"You're going to leave me again!" Naruto interrupted, as furious sobs choked his words. "You're going to leave me, just like you left me 5 years ago…"

Sasuke looked on helplessly, as the blonde finally bared his soul.

"It hurt so much…" Naruto whispered despairingly, as he shrugged himself free of the Uchiha's touch. "When you left… I didn't… I didn't tell anyone… About us… I was so scared…So confused…"

"I thought you hated me… That you went away because you regretted what we… What we did…"

Sasuke listened in silence, although his insides were protesting in anguish. He never knew… He never knew that his actions were the source of so much distress…

"And when you came back… I found out that you were getting married…" Naruto trailed off, as a new onslaught of sobs overwhelmed him. "And all these new feelings… These weird feelings sparked up… And I wanted to hate you – _wanted to hate both of you _– you and Sakura… But I couldn't…."

_"I just couldn't…" _

"Then you came and told me… Told me that you loved me… And I was so scared Sasuke_…! I was so scared_…" Naruto trailed off into a whisper, as he gazed blankly at the ground. "You confused me… It didn't… It didn't make sense… How could you love _me_? Me… The fool – the idiot – the outcast of the village… Even when you _knew_ about the Kyuubi…"

_"How could you choose me – a demon - over Sakura?" _

The last part was said with so much incredulity and hollowness that Sasuke felt his soul tear apart.

"So I thought… I _knew_ that you were going to regret it… You don't understand Sasuke…! You _couldn't_ love me…! I had to make you see the truth before you started to hate me… _I_ _couldn't bear it if you started to hate me…" _

Sasuke felt fresh tears sting his eyes. Didn't Naruto _see_? Didn't he _understand_? Didn't he _realise_ that he could _never_ hate him?

"And I didn't want Sakura getting hurt… So I _had_ to make you see that you were confused - I had to convince you that your feelings weren't real…! I tried to put you off – I tried so hard…"

"Telling you… That I… _I didn't love you_… It had to be the hardest thing I've ever done…" Naruto broke down as overwhelming emotions choked up within his throat. "It hurt so much, Sasuke…" Naruto whispered, hoarsely, hopelessly. "I don't want to hurt again… I don't want to hurt anymore…"

_"Please don't hurt me anymore…" _

Sasuke hitched back a gasp as trembling blue eyes met his – eyes spilling so openly, _so honestly_ with fear, confusion and deep profound sorrow. Eyes that were displayed without the usual barriers - without the usual mask - revealing a hauntingly beautiful soul…

"I love you Sasuke… I love you, and I never want to leave you…"

The Uchiha closed his eyes as raw pain seared through him.

"Please Sasuke… Please…. Don't make me go…"

_"Please don't make me live without you…" _

In desperation, Sasuke stepped forward to embrace the smaller boy with a renewed vigour, _needing_ the comfort of human contact…

"You're not being fair, Naruto…" he whispered, as the blonde trembled fervently against his chest. "You have to live… I… I can't… I can't watch you die…"

"But - "

"People need you Naruto…" Sasuke murmured, as he hugged the smaller boy tighter against his body, as if afraid to let go. "Please… Don't make it harder than it already is…"

"This is my fault isn't it…"the blonde sobbed. "If only I didn't run off… Then none of this would've happened… It's my fault… It's my fault that you're dead…"

"Don't think that!" Sasuke ordered in defiance, as he weaved his fingers possessively into thick blonde hair. He forced the trembling boy to look into his eyes – dark eyes filled with anger and disbelief at the other's admission. "Don't you ever think that! If it's anyone's fault, its mine… I should've finished my brother off ages ago…"

_"He should never have touched you…" _

An agitated silence consumed the two, as the Uchiha tried to keep his anger under control.

"So what do we do now?" Naruto whispered quietly.

"You wake up," Sasuke replied simply, effectively concealing the fact that his heart was shattering into a million pieces. "You wake up… and you live."

"But you…"

"It doesn't matter…" the Uchiha murmured hollowly. "You have to live on without me…"

"But I'm not sure if I can…" the blonde's voice crumbled.

"You have to!" Sasuke declared vehemently. "You have to… You can't… I won't let you die… I won't…"

_"I won't forgive you if you die!" _

Sasuke buried in face into the mop of blonde hair in a mixture of desperation and frustration. Didn't he understand? Didn't he understand that he _couldn't_ let him die, especially for him? That he just _couldn't_ watch another special person die… He still had so much to live for… He still had so much to give, still had a dream to fulfil…

He would _never_ forgive him if he just threw it all away…

"I'll never see you again, will I?"

Sasuke remained silent, not trusting himself to speak.

"So this is goodbye?"

"This is goodbye…" the Uchiha replied hoarsely, as overwhelming emotions surged to his heart, shattering the broken pieces into oblivion.

Naruto sniffed, before looking one last time into the eyes that will inevitably haunt his dreams for the rest of his life.

"I love you…" he whispered. "I'll love you forever…"

"I know… I love you too… _Forever_…"

Then they kissed – their last ever kiss full of love, sorrow and bitterness – a kiss that seemed to last forever, yet ended all too soon… And as their silver tears intermingled, their souls embraced – and in that one moment in time, everything was in harmony…

_Everything was in perfect harmony. _

It was a final kiss to mark the end of their fruitless struggles – yet all was not in vain… For true love had transpired.

And that was enough.

_Love was always enough. _

------------------------------------

**Epilogue **

Two years later, a tall man stood quietly by the side of a relatively peaceful lake, as a cool breeze swept softly by him. His blonde hair, now golden from constant exposure to the sun, shone brightly, contrasting greatly with his now dark bronzed skin. But his eyes – still an impossible shade of brilliant blue – betrayed hardships and suffering that no one that young should've ever had to suffer…

_They were eyes that had loved and lost. _

It was a peaceful day… The sunlight glinted warmly over gentle ripples upon the surface of the waters, sending millions of crystal shards spiralling in all directions… It was definitely a beautiful day…

Yet nothing but a solemn expression graced Naruto's features...

"I miss you…" the blonde whispered softly, his voice soft and sincere, as he gazed out longingly into the deep depths of the lake.

But as always, there was no answer, except for the gentle murmur of the winds.

"This is what you meant, wasn't it?" the man continued, either oblivious or uncaring to his lack of responses. "I finally understand… I finally understand what you were trying to tell me…"

Naruto closed his eyes as he felt the soothing breeze caress his face.

"When you kept asking me where I was, and why I didn't visit you…" he whispered, so faintly that it was barely audible even to his own ears. "You were really asking why I didn't visit your resting place…Weren't you?"

"I'm sorry it took me so long…" startling blue eyes slowly opened, gleaming brilliantly with unshed tears. "I didn't mean to be away for that long… But… But I've found someone… I've found someone that I'll be able to love…"

"I hope you're proud of me Sasuke… I did what you said – I lived… And you were right… There's still so much to do, still so much left unfinished…"

A gentle silence filled the air.

"We've finally found it though…" Naruto murmured softly. "We found the factory - where those illegal weapons were being created… But… But more are being created, more being developed… It just seems so _impossible_ right now…"

A slight pause.

"Maybe… Maybe we can't escape it after all…" the blonde whispered. "Maybe no matter what we do - _no matter how hard we try_… Maybe we just can't escape this new era – this era of handheld weapons of destruction…"

"Maybe it's just the next step in human evolution…"

A small, dry chuckle escaped the blonde's lips.

"Hehe, sorry for sounding so philosophical back there…That's more of something you would say, ne, Sasuke?"

Silence, followed by a heavy sigh.

"I really do miss you, you know…" Naruto whispered forlornly. "I still dream about you every night… Still think about you every day… You know I'll never forget you, right…?"

_"I still love you so much…" _

The blonde paused, as if temporarily overwhelmed with emotion.

"But there's someone I'd like you to meet…" he whispered hoarsely, his lips trembling slightly. "And I think you'll like him very much…"

Naruto walked to the edge of the clearing, where a small boy – around the age of 5 -with dark hair was patiently standing. Then holding hands, the two slowly walked forward, until they reached the rock that stood beside the lake.

The rock had a simple engraving upon it – _Uchiha Sasuke, may your soul rest in peace. _

"This is Ataski-kun…" the blonde smiled proudly – the first smile that Naruto had expressed since reaching the area. "Ataski-kun, say hello to Uncle Sasuke…"

"Hello, Uncle Sasuke," the small boy said politely, before bowing graciously in front of the rock. The boy had a cute yet serious expression adorning his features, giving the impression that he was someone who just wanted to grow up a little _too_ quickly…

But then again – which Uchiha didn't?!

"Heh, bet you didn't know that huh!" Naruto grinned, as a little of his old mischievousness crept back into his voice. "It seems that your brother and that 'Miss Riyoka' were connected and joined… In more ways than one!!"

Another snort escaped the blonde, as Ataski watched on in amusement.

"Anyway, the poor kid was left with the neighbours, but since he had no one left, I decided to become his guardian! Yeh I know what your thinking – how can I become a guardian when I can't even take care of myself blah blah, but this guy is great!" Naruto grinned, as he grabbed the smaller boy and ruffled up his hair. "He's very smart, and very gifted – he's probably stronger now than you ever were…!"

Ataski crawled out of the blonde's grip, with an endearing pout upon his face. Add that to his erratically messed up hair, the little Uchiha boy looked absolutely adorable.

"Oh and he doesn't talk either… Gee, what is it with you Uchiha's and the inability to speak?"

Little Ataski glared, although the effects were pretty much diminished by the two dimples that appeared on either side of his cheeks.

"Heh… See what I mean?"

And so, the two stayed chattering aimlessly – well, Naruto was chattering aimlessly - until the blonde somehow ended up falling into the lake. His stomach rumbled soon after, which more or less signified the end of their visit.

"Well… I guess I'll see you later then, Sasuke…" Naruto murmured, his expression considerably lighter since Ataski-kun had been introduced.

"Come on Ataski-kun, let's go get some ramen…"

"Ramen again?!"

And as the two left hand in hand, a fresh engraving could be found underneath the original message upon the rock. It read:

_'A friend, a rival, a lover… He has touched my heart, and embraced my soul… One encounter is worth over a thousand lifetimes…' _

_'Wait for me, my angel. I'll love you forever...' _

**Owari. **

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OMG it's finished... After...5? 6? 7? months... It's finally over...!!

This chapter has to be the longest... Yep, definitely the longest I hope I didn't confuse too many people... Basically, Naruto kinda broke down after Sasuke's death, but he didn't realise he was in hospital until 'Sasuke' told him... The new person who Naruto loves is Ataski, and he is supposed to be the son of Itachi and the woman that killed Sasuke...

And what happens to Sakura you ask? Well... it doesn't really matter does it XD. She's not important!!

And I know guns aren't in Naruto world, but gah... I hope this 'giving Naruto something to live for' is a good enough justification... Oh and the whole human evolution thing - I guess I've been watching too much TV recently...!

Feedback? Yes please!! Mail me at ! I'd love to know what you think of the whole story now that it's complete... If there are any plot holes, please feel free to ask... And I'll try to weave them into the chapter somehow... O.o;;

Well... Until next time! Take care!! Ja ne!


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